Google Search does not appear like Google Search anymore, and at I/O 2026, the corporate leaned into that absolutely. The annual developer convention held this week in Mountain View, California, served as probably the most express assertion but of the place Google is taking its flagship product: away from the blue-link mannequin it perfected over 25 years and towards one thing nearer to a conversational AI agent.
The bulletins ranged from Gemini 3.5 Flash turning into the brand new default engine behind AI Mode globally to an entire reimagining of the search field itself, described by Google as the most important improve to that interface in over 20 years.
Till now, AI has proven up in Google Search within the type of its so-called AI Overviews and in a separate AI Mode that feels extra like speaking to the Gemini chatbot. A brand new interface will as a substitute regulate to match the tone and outcomes of your search question — together with an “clever search field” that permits you to ask longer, extra complicated questions. This is what’s coming to Search from Google I/O.
AI updates coming to Search
Robby Stein, Google’s vice chairman of product for Search, framed this yr’s I/O updates as a significant step in combining Google Search with superior AI, tracing progress from AI Overviews to AI Mode and, now, a unified AI search expertise. He mentioned a billion folks use Google’s AI Mode every month, they usually’re asking it extra questions. These instruments let folks ask nearly something and get wealthy, real-time solutions from Google’s in depth information programs, he mentioned.
“It is a very thrilling time for Search,” Stein advised reporters forward of I/O. “Folks can ask actually something on their thoughts and other people’s curiosity is pretty limitless.” The corporate is doubling down on integrating frontier AI fashions with Google’s reside information (net pages, enterprise listings, merchandise, pictures, finance) to ship deeper, conversational search outcomes.
The modifications come as Google additionally introduced the rollout of Gemini 3.5 Flash, a extra succesful mannequin targeted on reasoning, coding and complicated duties. Stein mentioned constructing Search instruments across the new mannequin raises the general reply high quality on Search.
Answering extra sophisticated questions
Alongside the mannequin improve, Google is introducing an “clever search field” that expands for lengthy queries, accepts uploads (pictures, PDFs), auto-completes nuanced prompts and might entry contextual sources like open Chrome tabs to assist multi-step analysis.
AI Overviews now transition seamlessly into AI Mode for follow-ups. So as a substitute of simply getting an AI-generated reply in Search, you may have a dialog with the AI offering your search outcomes to get the solutions you are searching for.
New “widgets” can simulate physics, visualize ideas, construct calculators or turn out to be persistent mini-apps for duties corresponding to shifting, well being monitoring or journey planning.
Stein additionally launched dynamic, interactive “widgets” and bigger “tremendous widgets” generated by the system (enabled by Gemini and developer tooling). These can simulate physics, visualize ideas, construct calculators or turn out to be persistent mini-apps for duties corresponding to shifting, well being monitoring or journey planning — optionally utilizing related private information (Gmail, Photographs, Calendar) to personalize outcomes throughout 200 markets and 98 languages.
Stein described Search shifting into an “agentic” period the place AI brokers can help you with a spread of duties, corresponding to monitoring matters, sending alerts (like when your favourite artist proclaims a tour) or reserving providers. Whereas the agent can not guide a reservation in your behalf, you may share your particulars — like the popular dates and occasions, and variety of folks becoming a member of your occasion — to obtain an inventory of matches with up to date availability and pricing, and hyperlinks to formally finalize your reservation reserving. These capabilities might be accessible this summer time.
