At Google I/O 2025, the company announced a significant overhaul of Google Colab, its free browser-based Jupyter Notebook environment, now reimagined around AI. The new version brings Gemini-powered assistance.
“Colab AI operates across your entire notebook, providing more accurate responses, taking actions across multiple cells, and engaging in meaningful ways to help you build faster,” the announcement stated.
Colab has long been a favourite among students, developers and data scientists, largely due to its zero-cost access to cloud GPUs and TPUs. However, the new upgrade marks a significant shift in its experience. Colab now understands a user’s code, goals, and even intent, offering suggestions and making changes across cells in a fluid, conversational flow. The official blog described the AI’s abilities as “Colab’s new agentic collaborator”.
Gemini 2.5 Flash powers everything for Colab AI, from debugging and code generation to full-blown analytical workflows. A newly upgraded data science agent can autonomously analyse datasets, interpret findings, and adjust its approach based on real-time feedback. For code-heavy users, an intuitive difference view—a feature to compare two versions of code—highlights Colab’s suggestions when transforming or fixing code.
The upgraded Colab allows you to access the AI features easily with a quick-access Gemini spark in the toolbar and a side panel for more extended conversations. These tweaks aim to streamline both minor code edits and complex, multi-step reasoning without requiring users to leave the notebook.
Key features include intelligent file analysis, boilerplate code generation, and refined error fixing. The system can now also execute autonomous ‘agentic flows’, planning and running entire analysis sequences on its own. Users stay in control throughout, with the ability to guide, reroute or refine the process.
While Google claims its prior Gemini integrations boosted productivity by over two times, the new version of Colab looks to boost workflows.
The rollout of the AI integration begins today, with access expanding weekly.Google is also encouraging feedback through Google Labs’ Discord channel, as it eyes further AI-first enhancements in the upcoming months.
