The Google Search we knew is over

At I/O, Google announced it will transform Search's core experience into an AI-centric interface.

The traditional search that showed 10 blue links is increasingly receding into the background, while a new search bar that handles longer, conversational queries and AI-powered query suggestions move to the forefront. Users can ask follow-up questions within search results and continue conversational exploration through AI Overviews and AI Mode.

There are three core changes.

• information agents: agents that track changes on the web for 24 hours based on conditions set by the user, and send summaries and links when those conditions are met
• generative UI: search result screens where Google generates widgets and visualizations on the fly depending on the question
• persistent project spaces: stateful workspaces that users can return to and continue

Google described this as an evolution of Google Alerts. The difference is that rather than simply detecting changes, the agent plans which tools and data to use and interprets the results before delivering them.

Google also stated that AI Overviews has reached more than 2.5 billion people per month, and AI Mode has reached more than 1 billion people per month. This announcement shows that Search is moving away from being centered on lists of links, toward handling users' questions on their behalf and generating interactive answers.