Google launches Gemini 3.8 Flash to rival OpenAI and Anthropic

Google launched Gemini 3.8 Flash, challenging OpenAI and Anthropic by claiming comparable performance to advanced models at a significantly lower operational cost. The release marks Google's effort to regain ground in the AI race. CEO Sundar Pichai announced the model on X, calling it the third Flash release in six weeks. Google says it outperforms larger models in complex engineering tasks, with introductory pricing of 75 cents per million input tokens versus higher rates from competitors. The company also unveiled Gemini 3.8 Flash Cyber for cybersecurity, reporting it produced 2.6 times more correct Chrome vulnerability fixes than larger commercial models. Google is developing a flagship Gemini 4 model amid recent leadership changes.