Google releases Gemini 3.8 Flash — model 'works harder' but usage could cost more
Google has launched Gemini 3.8 Flash, which performs more reasoning steps than its predecessor but may consume more tokens and thus raise costs for users. The model shows gains in coding and agentic benchmarks, while a restricted security-focused version is being offered to governments and trusted partners.
Google has released a new AI model, Gemini 3.8 Flash, just weeks after its predecessor, Gemini 3.7 Flash. The company says the new model "works harder" by taking more reasoning steps on complex tasks and calling tools iteratively.
Same price, but possibly higher costs
Gemini 3.8 Flash keeps the same introductory pricing as its predecessor — $0.75 per million input tokens and $3.75 per million output tokens. However, Google warns the model may use more tokens to maximize performance, particularly at higher reasoning effort levels, meaning actual costs for users could rise. Developers who want to minimize token usage can still choose to stick with Gemini 3.7 Flash.
Analysis firm Artificial Analysis noted that Gemini 3.8 Flash is the cheapest model it has measured at this level of intelligence, though real-world costs have risen roughly 40%, driven by about a 30% increase in output tokens per task and additional turns in agentic evaluations. Aigora.ai CEO John Ennis compared the model favorably to Anthropic's offerings, describing its coding quality as comparable to a high-end model but at much lower cost and higher speed.
Gains in coding and agentic tasks
Google says Gemini 3.8 Flash brings significant improvements for software engineering and autonomous AI agents. It outperforms its predecessor and other leading models on the DeepSWE v1.1 coding benchmark, as well as on the Vals Finance Agent V2 benchmark and a legal agent benchmark from Harvey.
At the same time, the new model ships with safeguards against misuse in chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear domains, as well as cyber offense.
Restricted version for governments
Google also introduced Gemini 3.8 Flash Cyber alongside a new program called Fairwind, limited to governments and trusted partners, which already counts around 650 members including CrowdStrike and the Center for Internet Security. Members get access to Google's CodeMender agent, designed to autonomously find and fix security vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure.
Gemini 3.8 Flash is now available to consumers with a Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription, as well as to developers and enterprise users.
