Google's AI Search marks a shift from information discovery to information delivery.
Search has long been one of Google's core products, with more than 3 billion users globally.
It ranks among the company's biggest products, alongside Gmail, Android, Chrome and YouTube.
But the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is now driving the most significant change in Google Search's 25-year history.
Google calls this shift 'AI Search'.
Google's first major step towards AI-led Search came with AI Overviews.
Instead of showing only a list of links, AI Overviews generate short summaries of search results, along with source links for users who want to read more.
This was followed by AI Mode, a conversational Search interface allowing users to ask questions in a more natural, dialogue-based format.
According to Google, AI Overviews now have over 2.5 billion monthly active users, while AI Mode has crossed 1 billion monthly active users within a year of launch.
So far, however, the transition has felt fragmented, with traditional search results, AI summaries, and conversational answers existing side by side.
Google is now trying to unify the experience.
With AI, Search is moving from one-off queries to ongoing conversations, Google said, adding that users were increasingly turning to Search not just to find links, but to get direct answers.
In response, Google has redesigned Search with AI at the centre.
At the heart of this redesign is what Google calls the 'Intelligent Search Box'.
The aim is to deliver information directly from the web, instead of sending users to pages that may contain parts of the answer.
The traditional results page built around ranked blue links is beginning to fade -- replaced by a unified AI-led interface built around AI Overviews and AI Mode, with more interactive elements.
In the updated experience, the search box expands after a query is entered and generates a response using information from multiple sources.
Users can then refine the search with followup questions, much like in a conversation.
Google is also introducing AI-powered query suggestions, going beyond conventional autocomplete.
The company said the system would help users frame more detailed questions and retrieve more specific information.
Google is also introducing what it calls an agentic Search experience.
These 'information agents' will work in the background, monitor the web, and alert users when new information becomes available.
This could reduce the need for repeated searches on topics users track regularly.
Google said these agents would scan web sites, blogs, news platforms and social posts for updates related to a user's query.
The revamped Search interface is being rolled out gradually.
The agentic experience is expected this summer for Google AI Pro and Google AI Ultra subscribers.
Google has also previewed a Search generative user interface, powered by Antigravity and Gemini 3.5 Flash's agentic coding capabilities.
This system will allow Search to create custom interfaces in real time, using elements like interactive visuals, tables, graphs, and simulations, depending on the query.
Instead of showing the same layout for every search, Google's AI will dynamically generate interfaces to present information more effectively.
Google said these capabilities would be available to all Search users later this summer at no extra cost.
Google is also expanding Personal Intelligence within AI Mode.
The feature is being rolled out across nearly 200 countries and territories in 98 languages, without requiring a subscription.
It allows users to connect Google services like Gmail and Google Photos, with Google Calendar support expected soon.
This will allow Search to deliver more personalised answers based on a user's own information and context.
Google's AI push is not limited to Search.
Gemini, its foundational AI model, is becoming an intelligence layer across Search, Gmail, Android, Chrome, Workspace, and Photos.
Search is now one of the most visible entry points for Gemini.
It is gradually becoming an AI-powered gateway into Google's broader ecosystem, where information retrieval, personal context, and task execution are coming together.
Google is not alone.
Microsoft has integrated AI into Bing and Edge through Copilot, offering conversational search and task assistance.
OpenAI has also become a major force, with many users turning to ChatGPT for queries that earlier may have begun on Google Search.
Perplexity AI, too, has built search-native AI products around summarised answers, source attribution, and conversational refinement.
Google's AI Search marks a shift from information discovery to information delivery.
For users, this means fewer links, more direct answers, and a more conversational way to use the web.
Instead of opening multiple tabs, users may rely on Google's AI to compare options, filter results, track updates, and deliver answers in one place.
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff