Google is turning Search into a fully AI-infused experience. On Tuesday, the tech giant announced an AI makeover of its most popular function. “Now, we’re entering the next chapter of Google Search, where incredible AI features aren’t just in Search; Google Search is AI Search through and through,” Elizabeth Reid, who leads Search at Google, said at the company’s annual I/O conference. “We’re entering the era of search agents now.” Some of the most front-facing changes are hitting the Search box. Powered by the company’s latest Gemini model, the new AI-infused search box will allow users to put images, files, videos, or even Chrome tabs as input. If you still opt to search via text, the Search box will go beyond the regular auto-complete to use AI-powered suggestions for your queries. The results page will still look relatively the same, at least if you search via text, but now, if you ask the AI Overview feature any follow-up questions, you will get redirected to AI Mode. Using Google’s Personal Intelligence feature, the new AI-embedded Search will also be able to access apps throughout Google’s portfolio, like Gmail or Google Calendar.
“This is the biggest upgrade to our iconic search box since its debut over 25 years ago, and is starting to roll out today,” Reid said. The tech giant’s bet on agentic search also includes AI agents embedded in the Search experience, which are also debuting later this summer. That includes what Reid called information agents, which the user can assign to specific tasks like finding an apartment for rent in a specific neighborhood and under a certain budget or keeping an eye on stock prices. The agents will work on the tasks “24/7 in the background,” Reid said, and send you updates when an apartment that fits your needs hits the market, or there is a notable move in a stock you kept your eye on.
