Google’s new Gemini 2.5 Flash is proof AI doesn’t have to be slow
Google is rolling out Gemini 2.5 Flash, a speedier, more efficient AI model announced at the Google Cloud Next conference, expanding the reach of its latest AI architecture beyond its initial experimental phase.
After Gemini 2.5 Pro turned heads last month, Google is now deploying improved AI across its ecosystem, clarifying its model lineup. Flash joins Pro, starting life on the developer-focused Vertex AI platform rather than the consumer Gemini app.
Gemini 2.5 Flash stems from the same base code as Gemini 2.5 Pro but is designed to be faster and cheaper to operate. Google gathered user interaction data from the experimental release of Pro, which helped shape the development of Flash.
Flash models are smaller than their Pro counterparts, accelerating answers for simpler queries and reducing operational costs, though Google doesn’t disclose specific parameter counts. Both 2.5 Pro and Flash feature dynamic thinking, enabling the AI to adjust its simulated reasoning effort based on the query.
According to Ars Tecnica, the initial experimental 2.5 Pro occasionally “overthought” simple requests, states Google’s Tulsee Doshi. Gemini 2.5 Flash incorporates more advanced “dynamic and controllable reasoning” to address this, choosing a “thinking budget” relative to prompt complexity to cut down wait times and processing needs.
Developers using Vertex AI gain granular control over this thinking budget, allowing further cost reduction and speed optimization. Google also plans to add supervised tuning and context caching for Gemini 2.5 models on Vertex AI in the coming weeks.
Separately, the larger Gemini 2.5 Pro model now powers Google’s Deep Research tool, upgrading it from the previous Gemini 2.0 Pro. Deep Research uses prompts to gather internet data and synthesize detailed reports on a topic.
Google states the upgrade to Gemini 2.5 Pro has enhanced the accuracy and utility of Deep Research reports. Citing user evaluations, Google claims a greater than two-to-one preference for its reports compared to those from OpenAI’s similar tool.
While Deep Research is available for limited use on free accounts, the version running Gemini 2.5 Pro is currently restricted to Gemini Advanced subscribers.