Gemini 3.8 Live launches: #1 voice model at $0.005/min with async background thinking
_philschmid · x · 2026-09-16
Google released Gemini 3.8 Live and 3.8 Live Extended Thinking, continuing its real-time voice agent push after last month's 3.5 Transcribe.
- 82.6 score (#1) on Artificial Analysis Quality Index
- Pricing: $0.005/min input, $0.018/min output
- 35.1 (#1) on agentic task completion (τ-banking)
- Extended Thinking runs background reasoning and asynchronous tool calls while the conversation keeps flowing, coordinating multi-step tool use without breaking the dialogue
Available via the Gemini API in AI Studio, Google Search, and the Gemini App, plus partner plugins for LiveKit, Pipecat, LangChain, and Vercel.
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