Google has started turning Google Search into something that behaves a lot more like a chat app with a search box attached. At I/O, the company said Search is now getting Gemini 3.5 Flash as its default model worldwide, while the search bar itself is being expanded with AI-powered prompts, follow-up help, and support for text, images, files, videos, and even Chrome tabs.
The move arrives after AI Mode passed one billion monthly users one year after launch, which tells you where Google thinks search is headed: less typing the perfect query, more telling the machine what you mean and letting it sort out the phrasing. That is a nice upgrade for anyone who has ever stared at the search box like it owed them money.
What Google is changing in Search
The new intelligent search box is rolling out in every country and language where AI Mode is available, on both desktop and mobile. Google says the box will expand to give users more room to describe what they want, then wait for intent and suggest better questions as they type.
That makes Search feel closer to a guided conversation than a blank field. It also gives Google a cleaner path to keep users inside its own AI layer instead of bouncing between classic results, AI Overviews, and third-party chat tools.
- Default model: Gemini 3.5 Flash
- Supported inputs: text, images, files, videos, and Chrome tabs
- Availability: desktop and mobile, globally where AI Mode is available
AI Mode is becoming the main experience
Google is also making follow-up queries feel more natural. You can start from an AI Overview, then continue the exchange in AI Mode without resetting the conversation, which is exactly the kind of friction reduction Google needs as OpenAI, Perplexity, and others keep pushing the idea that search should answer, not just list links.
The broader play is obvious: if the search box can already accept richer inputs and steer the question for you, Google gets more chances to infer intent before a user ever sees a blue link. That is good for convenience, and very good for Google’s control over the interface.
Search agents, bookings, and personal intelligence
Google is not stopping at search suggestions. Search agents for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers will arrive this summer and run in the background to keep tabs on tasks and updates, while agentic booking features are expanding in the US this summer to cover more local services, including home repair and beauty.
It is also widening Personal Intelligence in AI Mode to about 200 countries and territories in 98 languages, with no subscription required. Users can connect Gmail and Google Photos, which gives Google a richer personal data layer than most rivals can match without asking users to jump through a dozen extra hoops.
The only real question now is how much of this feels helpful versus how much feels like Google gently nudging people away from the old search habit. If the new box reliably saves time, users will go along. If it gets too eager, people will remember why the plain old search bar lasted more than 25 years.