Google announces Gemini 4 Carbon, its latest frontier AI model that you can't use

It’s almost like Google’s got something to prove after taking a break from releasing new frontier AI models earlier this year. Just two weeks after rolling out Gemini 4 Argon, Google has announced Gemini 4 Carbon. This isn’t the Flash model equivalent we’ve been waiting for but, rather, is an improvement on Argon, and like that model, Google is working on a staged release that could take a while.

在今年早些时候暂停发布新的前沿人工智能模型后，谷歌似乎急于证明些什么。在推出 Gemini 4 Argon 仅两周后，谷歌又宣布了 Gemini 4 Carbon。这并不是我们一直期待的 Flash 模型版本，而是对 Argon 的改进。与 Argon 一样，谷歌正在进行分阶段发布，这可能需要一段时间。

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Google says its latest AI model reaches a new threshold in coding, agentic tasks, and scientific analysis. It’s so capable, in fact, that Google can’t let you use it just yet. Gemini 4 Carbon reportedly makes big gains in cybersecurity applications. Google says the model shows a “significant leap” in vulnerability detection, validation, and remediation. Carbon is also apparently twice as likely to generate code that is free of vulnerabilities versus Argon.

如果这段话你听着耳熟，请随时打断我：谷歌称其最新的人工智能模型在编码、代理任务和科学分析方面达到了新的门槛。事实上，它功能强大到谷歌目前还无法让你使用。据报道，Gemini 4 Carbon 在网络安全应用方面取得了巨大进展。谷歌表示，该模型在漏洞检测、验证和修复方面表现出“显著飞跃”。此外，Carbon 生成无漏洞代码的可能性显然是 Argon 的两倍。

Meanwhile, the Chrome team claims that Carbon is 10 times better at generating “high-quality” patches compared to non-Google models. Google also notes that Carbon has increased its score by 89 points on WebDev Arena, now ranking at number four on the leaderboard. Google has some numbers to support these vague assessments (below), showing Carbon at the top of the charts.

与此同时，Chrome 团队声称，与非谷歌模型相比，Carbon 在生成“高质量”补丁方面的能力提高了 10 倍。谷歌还指出，Carbon 在 WebDev Arena 上的得分提高了 89 分，目前在排行榜上名列第四。谷歌提供了一些数据来支持这些模糊的评估（见下文），显示 Carbon 处于图表领先位置。

Google positions Carbon as a totally new model, but for all we know, it could be a post-training upgrade of Argon. The two models have a lot in common, but Carbon does best Argon by slim margins in every test Google has given it. Its new model also beats GPT-6 Astra, Claude Opus 5.5, and Claude Fable 5.1 in almost every test. Benchmarks don’t tell the whole story, of course, and it’s notable that every frontier model scores in the same neighborhood in these tests. The gap between Carbon and the competition is just a few points.

谷歌将 Carbon 定位为一个全新的模型，但据我们所知，它也可能是 Argon 的训练后升级版。这两个模型有很多共同点，但在谷歌进行的每一项测试中，Carbon 都以微弱优势胜过 Argon。该新模型在几乎所有测试中也击败了 GPT-6 Astra、Claude Opus 5.5 和 Claude Fable 5.1。当然，基准测试并不能说明全部情况，值得注意的是，每个前沿模型在这些测试中的得分都在同一水平线上。Carbon 与竞争对手之间的差距仅有几分。

By Google’s reckoning, Carbon is the most capable frontier AI model right now, and its improved capabilities come with more rigorous safeguards. In the Grey Swan evaluation, Carbon resisted every attempted prompt-injection attack. That 0 percent score is better than Argon (0.7 percent), Opus 5.5 (1 percent), and GPT-6 Astra (8.5 percent).

据谷歌估计，Carbon 是目前功能最强大的前沿人工智能模型，其改进的功能伴随着更严格的保障措施。在 Grey Swan 评估中，Carbon 抵御了每一次尝试的提示注入攻击。0% 的得分优于 Argon（0.7%）、Opus 5.5（1%）和 GPT-6 Astra（8.5%）。

The release plans for Gemini 4 Carbon mirror those for Argon. According to Google, the model’s strong performance in agentic coding and cybersecurity means that it has to take a “deliberative approach.” The company is working within the voluntary testing framework established by the US government, and it plans to roll the model out through its Fairwinds cyber defense program once that’s done.

Gemini 4 Carbon 的发布计划与 Argon 如出一辙。据谷歌称，该模型在代理编码和网络安全方面的强劲表现意味着它必须采取“审慎的方法”。该公司正在美国政府建立的自愿测试框架内开展工作，并计划在完成后通过其 Fairwinds 网络防御计划推出该模型。

Google does not make any promises about the timeline for a wide release of Gemini 4 Carbon, but if it’s anything like Argon, the model could be available in a couple of weeks. Carbon will probably arrive first for AI Ultra subscribers and developers using the Gemini API. Like Argon, Google will temporarily offer a discounted API rate of $2 per million input tokens and $10 per million output tokens. That price will double once the introductory period expires.

谷歌并未就 Gemini 4 Carbon 的广泛发布时间表做出任何承诺，但如果它和 Argon 一样，那么该模型可能会在几周内发布。Carbon 很可能会首先提供给 AI Ultra 订阅用户和使用 Gemini API 的开发者。与 Argon 一样，谷歌将暂时提供折扣 API 费率，即每百万输入 Token 2 美元，每百万输出 Token 10 美元。一旦推广期结束，价格将翻倍。

Argon’s discounted rates are only good through the end of November, but Google doesn’t specify a date for Carbon. Google has declined to provide an end date when asked, suggesting it hasn’t decided when the price will increase.

Argon 的折扣价仅持续到 11 月底，但谷歌并未明确 Carbon 的截止日期。当被问及此事时，谷歌拒绝提供结束日期，这表明它尚未决定何时涨价。