Google adds AI search features

Google Search is turning into more of an AI guide than a list of blue links. That shift got another push on May 6, when Google added new features to AI Mode and AI Overviews that make the answers feel more conversational, more sourced, and more opinionated. The basic idea is simple — if people are already using Google to ask messy, open-ended questions, Google wants the AI answer to be the starting point, not just a shortcut on the way to ten tabs. But the same update also shows the limit of that ambition: Google is making Search more agentic while quietly retiring one of its purest browsing-agent experiments. (blog.google) ### What changed in Search? Google added five visible upgrades to its AI search experience. AI Mode and AI Overviews now suggest “where to go next” at the end of many responses, surface more direct links inside the answer, highlight content from a user’s linked subscriptions, and pull in snippets from forums, blogs, and social posts to show firsthand perspectives. The company framed all of this as a way to help people “explore the web” rather than stop at the summary. (blog.google) ### Why are Reddit and forums suddenly in the answer? Because people have been forcing that behavior for years. A huge number of searches already end with “Reddit” when users want lived experience instead of polished SEO copy. Google is now formalizing that habit by inserting “perspectives” and quoted snippets from public discussions directly into AI responses. That makes th(blog.google)wd wisdom in the same box. (blog.google) ### Why does that matter? Placement is the whole game. A normal search result asks you to choose what to trust. An AI Overview pre-processes that choice for you. So when Google moves forum voices inside the generated answer, it is not just adding color — it is promoting certain kinds of evidence into the summary layer itself. That could make niche advice easier to find, espe(blog.google)sounding anecdotes get mistaken for expertise. (techcrunch.com) ### What is Google really trying to do? Basically, keep the user inside Google longer without making the product feel closed. The company keeps emphasizing links, sources, brands, and websites you “value,” which is a polite way of saying it knows publishers and creators worry that AI summaries siphon attention away from the open web. These new features are meant to reassure everyone that Search still sends traffic outward — just after Google’s model has organized the trip. (blog.google) ### Where does AI Mode fit in? AI Mode is the more fully conversational version of Search — built for longer, multi-part questions and follow-ups. Google has been steadily upgrading it with stronger Gemini models, side-by-side browsing in Chrome, and more dynamic answer layouts. This week’s changes keep pushing in the same direction: Search as a research companion that helps you compare, refine, and keep going instead of resetting with each query. (blog.google) ### So why bring up Project Mariner? Because it shows the difference between an assistant that helps you navigate the web and an agent that actually drives for you. Project Mariner was Google’s experimental browser-controlling AI. Its landing page now says it was shut down on May 4, 2026, and that its technology moved into other Google products, with Gemini Agent suggested for complex tasks. (blog.google)r, narrower systems. (au.pcmag.com) ### What’s the real takeaway? Google is getting more aggressive about owning the first draft of your web session. The answer box now points, quotes, filters, and nudges. But turns out the fully autonomous version of that dream is still hard. Search can become an AI concierge faster than it can become a trustworthy AI browser. (blog.google)