Google pushes agentic UX

Google spent its May 19 I/O conference arguing that the next interface is not a chatbot but an agent. Across Search, the Gemini app, Workspace and developer tools, the company introduced products meant to keep context, run in the background and complete multi-step work rather than just answer a prompt. Sundar Pichai, Google’s chief executive, called the event “the agentic Gemini era” and said users now want to “see the value in the products they use every day.” The product changes were broad. Google said Gemini 3.5 Flash is now the default model for the Gemini app and AI Mode in Search globally, and described it as a model built for “frontier intelligence with action.” eWeek’s recap said the I/O announcements reached nearly every part of Google’s ecosystem, including Search, Android, Workspace, shopping, video creation and software development. (blog.google) ### What changed in Google’s pitch this year? Pichai used the keynote to frame the shift in explicit terms. Google is “in the part of the AI cycle where people want to see the value in the products they use every day,” he said, after a year in which the company pushed AI across consumer and enterprise products. Google also said it now processes more than 3.2 quadrillion tokens a month across its surfaces, up from roughly 480 trillion a year earlier. (blog.google) Google’s own I/O collection made the same point in product language. The company said it is “unlocking agents and agentic experiences” across products, citing information agents in Search, Gemini Spark and Daily Brief in the Gemini app, and Universal Cart for shopping. ### Where did Google put those agents? Search was one of the clearest examples. (blog.google) Google said it is “entering the era of Search agents,” starting with information agents that operate “in the background, 24/7” to track topics and surface updates when needed. Those agents are scheduled to launch first this summer for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers. The Gemini app got a similar upgrade. (blog.google) Google said the app now has more than 900 million monthly users across 230 countries and more than 70 languages, and introduced Daily Brief and Gemini Spark, which it described as a “24/7 personal AI agent” designed to manage tasks under user direction. Google also said the app’s new interface is built to return richer responses, including timelines, narrated videos and dynamic graphics. (blog.google) Workspace was folded into the same pattern. Google announced voice features in Gmail, Docs and Keep, updates to AI Inbox, and deeper links between Gemini Spark and Workspace apps so the assistant can act across work tools instead of sitting beside them. ### Why does this matter beyond Google’s own products? The developer side shows Google wants the same behavior in third-party software. (blog.google) Google said the Gemini API now supports Managed Agents, letting developers start an agent “with a single call” in an isolated Linux environment where it can reason, use tools, execute code and browse the web while preserving session state. (blog.google) That changes the product expectation for other apps. If Search can monitor a topic, Gemini can carry context across devices, and Workspace can turn voice into actions, users may start expecting software to remember intent and finish tasks without repeated prompting. That inference follows from the way Google presented the same agent model across consumer products and developer infrastructure. (blog.google) ### How is Google trying to monetize the shift? Google paired the product push with a higher-end subscription offer. The company said it is launching a $100-a-month AI Ultra plan aimed at developers, technical leads, knowledge workers and advanced creators. Google also said Ultra subscribers get a five-times higher usage limit in Antigravity than Pro users, plus a temporary $100 credit offer in the app through May 25. (blog.google) The near-term rollout is already mapped out. Search information agents are due this summer for Pro and Ultra users, Gemini 3.5 Pro is expected next month, and Google said more agent features will continue to spread through Search, Gemini, Workspace and Antigravity after I/O. (blog.google 1) (blog.google 2)