Google I/O 2026: Google Search gets its biggest AI overhaul in 25 years

Google announced a broad overhaul of Search at its I/O 2026 developer conference, expanding its AI-powered “AI Mode” and introducing new features that allow users to search using conversations, files, screenshots and live tasks.

The update marks one of the biggest changes to Google Search since the company launched the product 25 years ago, with Gemini AI models now integrated more deeply into how Search works.

AI Mode, Google’s conversational search interface, is now rolling out more widely in the U.S. without requiring users to sign up through Labs.

The feature allows users to ask longer and more detailed questions, follow up conversationally and refine searches without restarting queries. Google said people are increasingly using Search for more complex prompts instead of short keyword-based searches.

Google also demonstrated multimodal search capabilities inside AI Mode. Users can upload PDFs, images and screenshots into Search and ask questions around the content. In one example, a user uploaded apartment listings and asked Search to narrow options based on budget and commute preferences. The information agents will keep a tab and send push notifications when the search checks all the boxes of requirements, thereby surfacing updates automatically.

Some of these features will be restricted to subscribers of Google AI Pro and Google AI Ultra, the company’s paid AI subscription tiers. Google said premium users will get access to more advanced Gemini-powered tools, including AI agents that can monitor information continuously and assist with tasks across Google services.

Agentic coding in Search

Google said that it would include Antigravity and the agentic coding capabilities of Gemini 3.5 Flash right into Search. "Search can build the ideal response, in the right format for your question — completely on the fly. So, you can get custom generative UI, including visual tools and simulations, tailored precisely to your needs."

Search can design custom layouts, assembling components (like interactive visuals, tables, graphs or simulations) in real-time. These generative UI capabilities will be available for everyone in Search this summer, free of charge.

Google also announced deeper Gemini integration across Chrome and Workspace products. In Chrome, Gemini can summarise webpages, answer questions based on open tabs and assist users while browsing. Workspace applications, including Gmail, are also receiving expanded AI-powered assistance features.

The company separately said AI Overviews, the AI-generated summaries shown above traditional search links continue to expand globally. According to Google, the feature is now available in more than 200 countries and territories and supports over 40 languages.

During the keynote, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the company is entering what he described as an “agentic” phase of AI, where systems can reason through tasks and take actions on behalf of users.

The announcements were part of a broader set of AI updates unveiled at I/O 2026 across Search, Android, Chrome, Workspace and Cloud.