Google has just introduced an advanced version of its AI model, Gemini 2.5 Flash, which allows users to control how much "thinking" the AI does. This new feature, launched on Thursday, builds on the capabilities of the original Gemini 2.5 model, which was released in March and hailed as one of Google's most intelligent AI models to date. The updated model is particularly noteworthy for its "thinking budget" feature, enabling developers to fine-tune the AI's reasoning process to balance quality, cost, and latency. Tulsee Doshi, Google Gemini’s director of product management, explained in a blog post that different tasks require different levels of reasoning. For instance, answering a simple question like "How many provinces does Canada have?" doesn't need the same computational effort as calculating the maximum bending stress on a specific cantilever beam. By allowing developers to set a "thinking budget," Google aims to optimize the AI’s performance for various tasks, ensuring it uses only the necessary processing power. This development reflects a broader industry trend toward more efficient use of computing resources. Earlier this year, Chinese startup DeepSeek released a reasoning model that claimed to be more resource-efficient. Google’s new feature is designed to address the intensive processing and computing demands of advanced reasoning models, which have gained significant attention across the AI community. OpenAI’s recent release of o3 on Wednesday is another example of the growing interest in these sophisticated AI systems. The "thinking budget" feature provides developers with granular control over the number of tokens the AI model generates while operating. Tokens, in this context, are units of data that the AI processes to generate its responses. By calibrating the thinking budget, developers can ensure that the AI is not overworking for simpler tasks, thus reducing costs and improving response times. Google’s announcement was met with excitement and curiosity from the tech community. Demis Hassabis, a key figure at Google, emphasized the significance of this upgrade in a tweet, inviting developers to try the new model in preview and highlighting its cost-performance benefits. The move underscores Google’s commitment to making AI more adaptable and sustainable, aligning with the industry’s push for efficient and responsible computing. By giving developers the ability to manage the AI’s reasoning process, Google is not only enhancing the performance of its AI models but also making them more user-friendly and cost-effective. In summary, Google’s latest AI model, Gemini 2.5 Flash, offers a groundbreaking feature that allows developers to control the AI’s reasoning intensity. This fine-tuning capability helps optimize performance for a wide range of tasks, reducing unnecessary computational load and making the model more accessible and efficient. As the AI industry continues to evolve, such features are likely to become increasingly important for balancing innovation with practical resource management.