Google's 24/7 AI Assistant Gemini Spark Shows Promise in Real-World Testing
Original: I put Google’s 24/7 AI assistant Gemini Spark to work, and it’s actually pretty useful
Why This Matters
Shows Google's push into practical agentic AI that could compete with existing productivity tools
TechCrunch tested Google's new agentic AI assistant Gemini Spark, which runs on cloud virtual machines and integrates with Google productivity apps like Gmail, Calendar, Docs and Sheets. The service was introduced at Google's developer conference in May 2026.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai introduced Gemini Spark at the company's annual developer conference, positioning it as agentic AI that doesn't require keeping machines awake unlike competitors like OpenClaw. Spark integrates with Google's productivity suite including Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Sheets, and Slides, primarily targeting work-adjacent tasks. Google suggests personal use cases like scanning emails and calendars for daily task recaps and weekend planning through Google Docs. However, these examples assume users are highly organized with digital scheduling habits. In early access testing, TechCrunch found Spark to be a fairly useful consumer AI implementation for tasks like shopping research and household planning, though questions remain about whether it merits its own distinct branding.