Gemini Omni and 3.5: Why Google’s 'Agentic' AI Is Different

Google’s May 2026 AI updates are more than a technological milestone. With Gemini Omni and the Gemini 3.5 family, Google is signaling the arrival of agentic AI - models that don’t just inform, but actively do. Businesses that grasp the scale of this change will reshape operations dramatically; those that don’t will get left behind.

What Google’s Agentic AI Announcements Actually Are

The headline is Gemini Omni: a new, multimodal AI that accepts images, audio, video and text as input. It is not just a text generator or an image creator. Gemini Omni can turn any combination of these into high-quality, contextually grounded video, leveraging its knowledge of the real world. That means you could, for example, upload a voice note, a handful of photos and a product description, and get back a marketing-ready video tailored to your specifications. You can see more in our case studies.

Gemini 3.5 is the next leap in AI’s role within workflows. This updated model doesn’t just answer or suggest. It can combine multiple steps across apps, execute agentic workflows, and complete complex tasks with minimal human oversight. In effect, it’s less like having an assistant and more like adding a junior employee who acts on your behalf, following instructions but also making informed decisions.

Other upshots: Google’s new Street View and Project Genie integration, making 3D, interactive environments instantly explorable in-browser. Flow Music’s partnership with Believe aims to make AI a hands-on creative partner for music production - supporting everything from lyric brainstorming to finished tracks. These aren’t sideshows, but real signs of AI’s inexorable move from the background to the centre of creation and decision-making.

Practical Shifts for Everyday Business Owners

The upgrade from AI as an assistant to AI as an agent is not hype. It redefines backoffice operations, sales, production, and marketing. Say you run a boutique hotel or a real estate firm. With Omni and Gemini 3.5, you don’t just generate content faster - you automate campaign creation, customer follow-up, and even proactive lead research.

Consider email triage and scheduling. By connecting your calendar, Gmail, WhatsApp, and CRM, Gemini 3.5 can manage your inbox, prioritise messages, schedule appointments, and draft responses in your tone, all without daily intervention. This is not theoretical. Businesses that use AI in this way, as we’ve seen locally, are not just saving time, but actually closing more deals by responding faster than their competitors.

The days of manual workflow are ending. For a client like Spectrum FM, a fully automated content engine cut 20 hours of manual effort per week - now, replicate this dynamic for every channel, across every client touchpoint, using Gemini 3.5 as your process backbone. And the creative edge is just as pronounced: imagine launching a sophisticated promotional video for a new wellness retreat site using nothing but source materials you already have, all inside Google’s ecosystem.

Who Should Pay Attention First

These changes matter most for SMEs in service industries - hospitality, real estate, media, and e-commerce - who process high information volume daily and depend on rapid response. If you’re already spending hours a week sorting messages or following up enquiries, you’re precisely who Gemini 3.5 is built for.

Local companies on the Costa del Sol and comparable markets, where client engagement windows are narrow and competition is increasingly digital, stand to benefit most. With clients like Wylde Apothecary, we’ve seen how automating email campaigns and customer service with earlier-generation AI created a true always-on presence; with Gemini 3.5, this capability expands to full decision-making and multi-channel orchestration, no longer limited to simple rules or single-channel bots.

What To Do Next

First, map out every repetitive, multi-step process across your customer journey: lead qualification, content routines, appointment management, and personalised follow-ups. Gemini 3.5 and Omni are built to stand in for these exact workflows. Don’t just look at cost savings - focus on how agentic AI slashes response time and increases lead conversion. The bottleneck for most local businesses isn’t leads, it’s slow decision cycles and missed opportunities when responses lag.

Second, start with one workflow and connect the dots: integrate Gemini 3.5 (once available) with your existing tools, even if it’s basic at first. Evaluate, refine, expand. The winners in 2026 will be those who let AI carry real operational weight, not just generate the occasional blog post.

Google has drawn a new line: from assistant to agent. The pace of business will only accelerate as agentic AI moves from novelty to default. Those who build on it now will leave latecomers playing catch up for years.

Ready to apply this shift to your own operation? See real examples at /case-studies or talk to us at /contact. If you want tailored advice, contact us.