How Gemini added a new dimension to our I/O 2025 save the date puzzle
Since 2008, Google I/O has been a key moment for unveiling our latest innovations to the world. More than just a showcase, it’s a key moment for Google to share our vision for the future of technology and connect directly with the developer community.
The first big reveal? The date! Yesterday, we announced I/O 2025 will take place May 20-21 at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View. And keeping with tradition, we shared the news through our annual "Save the date" puzzle.
This year’s puzzle invites players to manipulate, guide, reflect and split beams of light to illuminate hidden beacons. The gameplay involves strategically placing prisms and mirrors to bend laser beams toward nodes, unlocking new sectors of the map. As players progress, they’ll encounter increasingly complex challenges to open up new worlds, each with its own unique layout and color theme. The ultimate goal is to illuminate a final prism to help reveal this year’s I/O date.
“Prisms and mirrors are integral tools in quantum computing, used to manipulate and analyze light and quantum states,” says Kacey Fahey, a senior product marketing manager who’s helping to plan I/O ‘25. "This year's puzzle design was inspired by these concepts, challenging players to use reflections and refractions to solve complex puzzles. The game also allows for multiple solutions to each level, encouraging testing and iterating, and repeat playability.”
The Google I/O 2025 Save the date puzzle.
Adding a new dimension to gameplay this year is a side quest to unlock bonus worlds. As each level loads, a feature built using the Gemini API hides a secret tile on the board and crafts a riddle to help you find it. Solve Gemini’s riddles to unlock bonus worlds, shaped like Chrome Dino, Android and other surprises.
“Each player receives a unique riddle to find a hidden, secret tile," says Jay Chang, a senior product marketing manager who led the Gemini integration. “Google AI Studio helped us integrate the feature faster in a unique, creative way. We programmatically generated the prompts for Gemini 1.5 Flash, using code, and then let it get creative in how it crafted the riddles. This is something we could’ve done manually, but would have taken a lot more time to implement."
Solve riddles generated by Gemini to find the hidden tile that unlocks a bonus world.
The team hopes this example of integrating AI in a fun and simple way will inspire more people to explore the possibilities of building with Gemini. “We also hope the puzzle builds excitement and anticipation for I/O,” Kacey says. “We’ll have lots of onsite demos and new experiences this year, and we’ll be livestreaming more sessions to connect our global digital audience across both days. And now the countdown begins!”
