Google launches Gemini 3.8 Live and 3.8 Live Extended Thinking speech models
Google DeepMind
Google introduced Gemini 3.8 Live and 3.8 Live Extended Thinking, its most advanced live dialogue models: near-realtime visual context, background tool execution, and automatic language switching across 97 languages. Extended Thinking reasons and speaks simultaneously with verbal fillers, tops the Speech-to-Speech Quality Index at 82.6, and scores 97.7% on Big Bench Audio. Rollout covers the Gemini API, AI Studio, Workspace, Search Live and the Gemini app; all generated audio carries SynthID watermarks.
Why it matters
Realtime speech-to-speech with simultaneous reasoning moves voice agents from scripted latency trade-offs to a single model that can think aloud, directly competing with OpenAI's Realtime API stack.
Importance: 4/5
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