Google has released a new version of its most advanced AI model, Gemini 4 "Argon", which it claims matches or beats rivals Anthropic and OpenAI in coding and cyber security. The model was unveiled by Alphabet in an effort to regain leadership in the enterprise AI sector. Argon demonstrates state-of-the-art performance on industry benchmarks for coding, corporate work, science, maths, and cyber security, with a 16-fold increase in context window enabling better handling of complex, multi-step tasks.
Google skipped the release of Gemini 3.5 Pro due to disappointing training results and instead accelerated Argon’s development over the summer. The model is being used internally for quantum computing research, data centre memory optimisation, and coding automation. Argon is being distributed via Google’s "Fairwind" programme to select companies and governments to identify and fix cyber vulnerabilities ahead of wider release.
It includes enhanced safeguards against prompt injections and agent escapes, with Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai emphasizing responsible rollout. Pichai attended a lunch with US President Donald Trump to sign a voluntary AI self-regulation accord with six leading developers. Google plans to offer Argon at a lower cost than competitors, leveraging its advertising revenue and balance sheet, with basic usage projected at $2 upon public launch.
Source: Financial Times Companies · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing