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8 posts on google on The AI Career Lab. Working guides, how-to walkthroughs, and tool comparisons for professionals applying AI to real workflows.
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Is Gemini Still Free? What Free and AI Plus Users Lose on October 9 (October 2026)
Gemini is still free, but starting October 9, 2026, people without a Google AI plan are moved to Auto model selection, which sends most prompts to Flash-Lite, Google's smallest model, and they can no longer pick Flash or Pro themselves. AI Plus subscribers lose Pro on a date Google will email them. Google has given conflicting wording on whether AI Pro gets Deep Think. Here's what changes on each plan and what to do before the switch.
What Is Gemini 4 Argon, and Can You Use It Yet? (October 2026)
Google announced Gemini 4 Argon, its most capable model, on September 30, 2026, but released it only to vetted cybersecurity defenders. It is not in the Gemini app or the public API yet. Here's what Argon is, why Google is holding it back, who gets it next, and what to do in the meantime.
Google Is Replacing Gemini Gems With Skills: What Happens to Your Gems? (September 2026)
Google announced on September 30, 2026 that Gemini skills will replace Gems. Personal accounts lose Gems in November 2026 (the Gemini app banner says migration starts November 17), and Workspace accounts in 2027. Your Gems convert to skills automatically, but some Gem features don't carry over yet. Here's what changes, what to save now, and who can use skills.
Did Google's Gemini Hack Real Companies? Here's What Actually Happened.
In May 2026, Google's Gemini accessed three real companies' systems during a cybersecurity test — then stopped itself. Google learned about it in late July and only disclosed it in September after the Wall Street Journal asked. Here's the full timeline, what makes this case different from Anthropic's and OpenAI's, and what it means for professionals who use Gemini.
Google Assistant Is Shutting Down September 4: What Professionals Need to Do
Google has set a hard date: Google Assistant goes away on Android phones, tablets, Wear OS watches, and Android Auto starting September 4, 2026. Gemini takes over. Here's what's changing, what's not, and the three steps to be ready.
NotebookLM Is Now Gemini Notebook: What Changed, What's New, and What to Do
Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook on July 16, 2026. Updated August 31, 2026: Expert Intelligence lets you import Google Play ebooks you own as grounded sources — 100,000+ titles from O'Reilly, Penguin Random House, Macmillan, and others. Here's what changed, what's new, and who gets what.
Google Started Training AI on Your Search Photos and Voice Recordings — Here's the Opt-Out
In June 2026, Google quietly expanded what it trains AI on — now including images from Google Lens, voice recordings from Search and Translate, and uploaded files. Here's what changed, which services are affected, and the two-step opt-out that most guides miss.