Google releases Gemini 2.0 Flash with native tool use

March 20, 2026   ·   google.com

google   ·   gemini   ·   multimodal   ·   tool-use

Google’s Gemini 2.0 Flash is now widely available and it’s punching well above its weight class. The key upgrades:

  • Native tool use — Code execution, function calling, and Google Search grounding are now first-class citizens, not bolt-ons
  • Multimodal input — Text, images, audio, and video in a single unified model
  • Speed — Significantly faster TTFT (time to first token) than 1.5 Pro, at a fraction of the cost
  • 1M token context — Same long-context window as 1.5 Pro

For agentic workflows this is significant. The ability to call tools natively (without prompt engineering tricks) makes it much easier to build reliable multi-step agents. I’ve been testing it in the PulseOS Agentic Framework at CEGID and the function-calling reliability is noticeably better than 1.5 Pro.

Worth trying if you’re building anything agentic.

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