TL;DRGoogle announced “information agents” at I/O 2026, a new AI Mode feature that runs in the background around the clock to monitor topics and deliver synthesised updates via push notifications. Described as the next evolution of Google Alerts, the agents roll out this summer to US subscribers of Google AI Pro and Ultra, alongside the biggest redesign of the search box in over 25 years.
Google has spent more than two decades refining a product built on a simple premise: you type a question, it returns a list of links. At I/O 2026 on Monday, the company signalled that premise is no longer enough. Among the biggest announcements was a new category of AI-powered tools called information agents, persistent, background processes that monitor the web on a user’s behalf and surface relevant findings without being asked.
The feature, which lives inside AI Mode in Google Search, represents what the company describes as the next evolution of Google Alerts, the email-based notification service it launched back in 2003. Where Alerts could tell you that a new web result matched your search terms, information agents can synthesise data from multiple sources, explain why a development matters, compare competing perspectives, and deliver actionable takeaways, all without the user lifting a finger.
