Remember when Google Search was just a simple list of blue links? That era is now firmly in the past. At I/O 2026, Google announced a sweeping set of updates that transform Search into a conversational, personal assistant capable of research, shopping, booking, coding, and monitoring topics in the background. The changes are powered by Gemini 3.5 Flash and signal a new direction for the world's most popular search engine.
1. AI Mode Runs on Gemini 3.5 Flash
The AI Mode tab in Google Search on desktop and mobile is now globally powered by Gemini 3.5 Flash, a model Google describes as a 'major leap forward in building more capable, intelligent agents.' This model is faster and more agent-ready, able to reason across sources, handle longer prompts, understand images and video, and complete multistep workflows. Google says AI Mode has already passed one billion monthly users and is now rolling out the new model as the default. Users can also continue conversations with follow-up questions, with Search maintaining context across queries. The upgrade is available globally across devices starting immediately.
2. A New AI Search Box
Google is overhauling the classic Search box, decoupling it from keywords. Instead of compressing a thought into a few search terms, users can now enter conversational, multimodal questions—combining text, images, files, videos, or Chrome tabs. The new box uses AI suggestions that 'go beyond autocomplete' to understand multipart, natural language queries. For example, instead of typing 'best portable Bluetooth speaker waterproof Alexa,' you could ask 'I want a portable Bluetooth speaker to take out by the pool. It'd be nice if it were waterproof and supported Alexa. Which ones are worth buying?' The new AI Search box is rolling out to all users in areas where AI Mode is available.
3. Search Agents Can Research Things for You
One of the most intriguing features is the introduction of Search agents. Google is entering what it calls 'the era of Search agents,' where users can create, customize, and manage multiple AI agents inside Search. The first version is information agents: you tell the agent what you want to monitor—such as apartment listings, news on a specific topic, or social media trends—and it continuously scans the web, blogs, news, and other sources, notifying you when relevant updates appear. For example, you can 'brain dump all of the exact requirements you're looking for, and your agent will continuously scan for you, notifying you when listings meet your needs.' Information agents will be available first to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, planned for this summer.
4. Search Will Help Book Local Services
Search is adding agentic booking capabilities for local services and appointments. With Gemini 3.5 Flash, users can ask for things like private karaoke rooms with food, and Search will show pricing, availability, and direct links to book. For select categories like home repair, beauty, or pet care, users can ask 'Google to call the business on your behalf.' These capabilities will roll out to everyone in the US in summer 2026. This marks a significant step toward Search acting as a personal concierge, handling tasks that previously required manual research and phone calls.
5. Shopping Is Getting More Agentic, Too
Google announced Universal Cart, a new AI-powered shopping cart feature connected across Search, Gemini, Google Pay, Gmail, and YouTube. It follows your shopping research across Google services, remembers products you're considering, watches for price drops, finds alternatives, and helps build a cart using your payment, membership, loyalty, and shipping details. For example, if you're building a custom PC with parts from multiple retailers, the cart will 'proactively flag any product incompatibilities and suggest alternatives' and understand your payment method perks and loyalty information. Universal Cart starts this summer in the US, with YouTube and Gmail integration to follow.
6. Agentic Coding Comes to Search
Perhaps the most surprising feature is agentic coding directly in Search. Google is bringing the power of its Antigravity tool and Gemini 3.5 Flash's coding capabilities into the search box. Users can ask Search to build small tools or apps, complete with a custom generative UI, layout, and real-time components like interactive graphs. Examples include an astrophysics visualization, a wedding-planning dashboard, a moving tracker, or a fitness app that pulls in data from reviews, live maps, and weather. These generative UI capabilities will be available to everyone in Search this summer, free of charge. More advanced custom experiences with Antigravity will come later, starting with Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.
7. Personal Intelligence in AI Mode
Google is expanding its opt-in personalization features through Personal Intelligence in AI Mode. If a user chooses to connect apps such as Gmail, Google Calendar, or Google Photos, Search will use that information to provide more personalized answers. For instance, it can find receipts buried in Gmail or surface relevant photos while researching a topic. Users can connect or disconnect any app at any time. Personal Intelligence is 'expanding' to people in nearly 200 countries and territories across 98 languages, with no subscription required, and appears to be rolling out now.
These updates collectively signal a fundamental shift. Google Search is no longer a passive repository of links but an active assistant that can research, monitor, shop, book, code, and personalize results based on your data. For power users, the agentic tools offer new levels of productivity. For everyone else, the most noticeable changes will be the smarter conversational search box and the optional personalization. The trade-off is increased trust: as Search becomes more capable, users must rely on Google with more context and personal data.
Source: ZDNET News