Google ships Gemini 3.8 Live voice models and Gemini 3.8 Flash TTS with voice design and cloning
In September 2026 Google made its 3.8-generation audio models GA in the Gemini API: `gemini-3.8-live` and `gemini-3.8-live-extended-thinking` for real-time audio-to-audio agents (15 Sept), and `gemini-3.8-flash-tts` / `gemini-3.8-flash-lite-tts` plus a Voices endpoint with voice design and voice replication (22 Sept).
Key facts
- 2026-09-15: gemini-3.8-live and gemini-3.8-live-extended-thinking GA (audio-to-audio, real-time)
- 2026-09-22: gemini-3.8-flash-tts and gemini-3.8-flash-lite-tts GA
- New /v1beta/voices endpoint, voice design, voice replication and an Extended Voice Library
- Earlier: gemini-3.5-transcribe and gemini-3.5-transcribe-live GA on 2026-08-26; Lyria 3.5 music model GA on 2026-09-03
What happened
Following Gemini 3.8 Flash, Google rolled the 3.8 generation into its real-time voice (Live) and text-to-speech models, adding APIs to design and replicate voices.
Why it matters
Completes a full voice stack (transcription, reasoning, real-time dialogue, speech synthesis, cloning) on one API; voice cloning also raises misuse concerns.
Changelog
- 2026-09-29: created
- 2026-09-29: linked related voice entries (Gemini 3.5 Live Translate, GPT-Live)
Related events
- Google releases Gemini 3.8 Flash and Gemini 3.8 Flash Cyber ★★★★
- Google launches Gemini 3.5 Live Translate, voice-preserving real-time speech translation in 70+ languages ★★★
- OpenAI launches GPT-Live, full-duplex voice models replacing ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Mode ★★★★
- Google launches Lyria 3.5 music model in Flow Music; Gemini API GA follows ★★★
- NVIDIA releases NemotronLabs VoiceChat 11B, an open full-duplex voice model with tool calling ★★★
- Cartesia Sonic-3.6 goes GA and tops the Artificial Analysis Speech Arena ★★★
- Alibaba launches Qwen-Audio-3.1 five-model voice stack and cuts audio API prices up to 95% ★★★
Sources (3)
id: 2026-09-15-gemini-3-8-live-and-tts · updated 2026-09-29 · open in the interactive timeline