Google I/O remakes Search with agentic AI — unveils Gemini Omni and Universal Agents

Google used its I/O conference on May 19-20 in Mountain View, California, to push Search deeper into what it calls agentic AI. The company introduced a new AI-powered Search box, expanded AI Mode, unveiled Gemini Omni and tied shopping, payments and assistant features more closely together across Search, YouTube, Gmail and Gemini. Google said the changes amount to the biggest upgrade to Search in more than 25 years. Here’s the core change: Google is no longer presenting Search as only a place to retrieve links and summaries. In its Search announcement, the company said users will be able to “use agents just by asking a question,” with Search handling more of the work inside the product. Sundar Pichai said in his I/O keynote that AI Mode had “surpassed 1 billion monthly active users” within a year. (blog.google) ### How is Google changing Search itself? Google said on May 19 that it is introducing “a new, intelligent AI-powered Search box” and bringing more advanced model capabilities into Search. The company described that interface change as Search’s biggest upgrade in over 25 years. AI Mode is the main vehicle for that shift. (blog.google) Google said the feature lets people ask longer, more complex questions and then continue with follow-ups, while new agent features are meant to take action after the query instead of only returning information. Ars Technica described the move as a plan to “remake search with agentic AI,” reflecting how much of the I/O presentation centered on automated task completion rather than conventional results pages. ### What is Gemini Omni, and why did Google pair it with Search? Google said at I/O that Gemini Omni is one of two new models announced at the conference, alongside Gemini 3.5. In Google’s description, Gemini Omni “can create anything from any input, starting with video,” and represents a step forward in multimodality, editing and what the company called world understanding. (blog.google) The pairing matters because Google is using the same model push to support consumer products and agent workflows at once. In its developer highlights, Google said Gemini 3.5 Flash is designed for “real-world agentic workflows,” while the broader I/O roundup grouped Gemini Omni, Search agents and shopping tools into one product story. That suggests Google wants the model layer and the interface layer to move together, rather than as separate launches. (blog.google) That is an inference from Google’s product packaging across the I/O materials. ### Where does Universal Cart fit into this? Google Shopping said on May 19 that Universal Cart is “an intelligent shopping cart” designed to work across merchants and services. The company said it can gather items while users browse Google, use Gemini, watch YouTube or check Gmail, making the cart a shared layer across multiple Google surfaces. (blog.google) Google linked that cart to a broader commerce stack. Its Shopping post said the company has been building “the foundation for agentic commerce” through the Universal Commerce Protocol and payments infrastructure intended to support agents that can buy on a user’s behalf. Forbes, describing the launch, said the cart is meant to make discovery and purchase more proactive across Google properties. (blog.google) ### Why are analysts focused on coordination and controls? Google’s own announcements show that the new workflows span Search, Shopping, Gmail, YouTube, Gemini and payments. That breadth is why outside commentary has focused less on model quality alone and more on permissions, handoffs and auditability when one system crosses products and transaction steps. Ars Technica’s framing of Search being remade around agentic AI points to that broader operational shift, not just a new interface. (blog.google) Google published a “100 things” roundup on May 20 that bundled Gemini Omni, Universal Cart, Search changes and dozens of other launches into a single I/O release package. The next reference point for what ships beyond the keynote is that product roundup, along with Google’s separate Search and Shopping posts from May 19-20. (blog.google 1) (blog.google 2)