Google is taking search in a much bigger direction than the usual blue links people are used to. At I/O 2026, the company showed off major updates that bring conversational AI, multimodal features, and smart AI agents into the experience as competition from ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and other assistants keeps heating up.
Questions about the accuracy of Google’s AI-generated responses still remain, but the company’s message from Mountain View was clear: it is continuing to invest heavily in the technology.
Today, Google is introducing a redesigned “intelligent search box” as the default experience for more complex searches. Powered by Gemini 3.5 Flash, it supports conversational interactions using text, images, files, and video. The system also includes improved autocomplete suggestions and surfaces extra links during conversations while maintaining context from previous exchanges.
Google’s AI Mode can now use information from a user’s Google apps to improve responses. Gmail and Google Photos integration are already available, while Google Calendar support is expected soon, allowing Search to combine personal information with web results in a single experience.
How well this highly conversational version of Search will hold up during longer interactions remains unclear. Researchers reported last month that although Gemini 3 was accurate in most cases, even its relatively small error rate could translate into tens of millions of incorrect responses each day. Google appears to be betting that the convenience and usefulness of an AI-first search experience will outweigh those concerns, though the figures highlight what is at stake when generative AI becomes central to the world’s most widely used search engine.
Google is also adding AI agents to Search, with the most advanced tools set aside for premium subscribers. Starting this summer, users on the Google AI Pro and Ultra plans will be able to assign agents to monitor blogs, news sites, and other web sources for updates tied to specific interests, such as tracking apartment listings that match a user’s preferences.
Google Search will gain the ability to make bookings and contact businesses for users beginning this summer, expanding its role beyond finding information.
Google is also integrating the Antigravity AI coding platform into Search. Free users will be able to create basic tools such as planners, trackers, and other simple utilities with custom visuals, while Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the United States are expected to gain access to more advanced app-building features in the coming months.
The search changes were only one piece of Google’s packed I/O keynote. The company also showed off updates to its image tools and unveiled always-on local AI agents that feel a lot like OpenClaw’s 24/7 assistant idea.
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