《中国记者》杂志

What you need to know

• Google announces its giving college students its AI Pro plan for free, so long as they're over 18 and in the U.S., Japan, Indonesia, Korea, and Brazil.
• Users will gain access to 2TB of Cloud storage, Gemini 2.5 Pro, Guided Learning mode, NotebookLM, and more.
• July held the "general availability" launch of the 2.5 Flash-Lite model.

Google is preparing to meet college students where they are with a set of free AI tools to get them going.

In a Keyword post, Google announced that it's making its "most advanced AI tools free" for students in the U.S., Japan, Indonesia, Korea, and Brazil. Students 18 years old or older can sign up for Google's AI Pro plan for free in the previously mentioned countries. Not only will students be gifted 2TB of Cloud storage with this plan, but they'll also receive access to Gemini's 2.5 Pro model.

The 2.5 Pro model features multi-step reasoning, while also utilizing "certain techniques" to reach a reasonable conclusion to queries. Google teases that students will also find Deep Research with 2.5 Pro, meaning Gemini will go deeper in its search and understanding for more complex topics.

NotebookLM enters to help condense those lengthy notes and study guides into more digestible packages. Additionally, Veo 3, Google's latest video generation model, gives students signing up the ability to create eight-second clips (sound included). Lastly, the company's asynchronous AI coding agent, Jules, offers a higher limit with the AI Pro plan.

Google's free AI tools for students extend to its Guided Learning mode, too. Students looking to work through homework or new topics from class can pose their questions to Gemini through the mode. Gemini (should) respond accordingly, offering lengthy, detailed explanations about the topic, with step-by-step walkthroughs to help students understand.

Students interested can begin signing up for these free AI tools. However, while this is restricted to the U.S., Japan, Indonesia, Korea, and Brazil, Google states it's working to open access to more countries and places "over the coming weeks."

Gemini's all over

Shortly after Google debuted Gemini 2.5 Pro, the model became available in the Gemini app on mobile, alongside its lighter Flash variant. The public versions of both models were also made available in Google AI Studio and Vertex AI, as well. That launch also held the preview announcement for the company's other 2.5 Flash-Lite model, which hit "general availability" late in July.

The 2.5 Flash-Lite model is reportedly Google's "fastest" version of Gemini, and the final addition to the 2.5 AI set. The model's shining aspect is its cost-efficiency, meaning developers can process their queries and data without breaking the bank (ideally). The 2.5 Flash-Lite model might not be the "strongest" for more complex, heavier tasks, but Google says it attempts to strike a balance between speed and strength.

Companies like Satlyt have already used it to process telemetry and satellite data.