Google redesigns search box

Google used its I/O developer conference on May 19 to recast its core search product around an AI-powered query box, conversational answers and software that can carry out tasks on a user’s behalf. The company said the new search box is its biggest upgrade in more than 25 years and tied the rollout to Gemini 3.5 Flash, which Google said is now the default model in the Gemini app and AI Mode in Search globally. Google also outlined new AI features spanning voice, image and video inputs, along with tools meant to complete multi-step tasks rather than simply return a page of links. ### What exactly changed in the search box? Google said on May 19 that Search now has what it called an “intelligent AI-powered Search box,” replacing the older pattern in which a typed query primarily led to ranked blue links. In a company blog post about its I/O 2026 Search updates, Google said users can ask more complex questions and invoke agents “just by asking a question.” (blog.google) Sundar Pichai, Google’s chief executive, told the I/O audience in Mountain View, California, that the company was entering what he called an “agentic” phase for Gemini-powered products. Google’s own materials tied that push directly to Search, where AI Mode is being positioned as a conversational layer for follow-up questions and task completion. (blog.google) ### Where does Gemini 3.5 Flash fit into this rollout? Google said Gemini 3.5 Flash is now the default model for both the Gemini app and AI Mode in Search globally. In a May 19 post, the company said the model is designed for coding and “agentic” tasks and is being distributed across consumer, developer and enterprise products. (blog.google) The model change matters because Search is no longer being presented only as an index of webpages. Google said 3.5 Flash is powering new features meant to bring “frontier-level intelligence” into daily use, while separate Search updates described agents, conversational follow-ups and multimodal queries as part of the same product shift. (blog.google) ### How is Google changing the way people ask questions? Google has spent the past several months expanding AI Mode, AI Overviews and personalized responses in Search. In earlier product posts, the company said users can move from an AI Overview into a back-and-forth exchange in AI Mode, and some subscribers can connect services such as Gmail and Google Photos for more tailored responses. (blog.google) Google also said AI Search is being built to handle more than text. The company’s I/O announcements linked Search and Gemini updates across voice, image and video inputs, while describing new task-oriented tools that can take actions for users rather than only summarize information. ### What does this mean for websites and publishers? (blog.google) Google said in a May 6 post that AI Mode and AI Overviews should help people “explore the web,” and it described new link formats meant to send users to articles, analyses and other sources after an AI response. That language reflects a central tension for publishers: Google is trying to keep web links visible even as the first interaction shifts toward an AI-generated answer. (blog.google) Business Standard, describing the latest rollout, said Google’s AI Search is replacing blue links with conversational answers, agentic tools and personalized responses. That account, together with Google’s own product descriptions, points to a search experience in which Google increasingly sits between users and the sites that supply underlying information. (blog.google) ### Where and when is Google making these announcements? Google I/O 2026 is being held on May 19 and May 20 at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California, and online, according to the company’s event page. The Search redesign and Gemini 3.5 Flash rollout were announced in the opening phase of that conference, and Google said additional product details for developers and enterprise users would be shared through I/O sessions and related posts. (blog.google 1) (blog.google 2)