Google is turning its most familiar interface – the search box – into an AI-powered prompt bar, and it is pushing the update worldwide. The company says the new experience stretches the box so people can explain what they want more clearly, while AI suggestions help shape the query before they even hit search. That is a neat way of saying Google wants fewer keyword fragments and more natural language, because the old ”type a phrase and hope” routine is getting replaced by something more conversational.
Under the hood, Google Search now uses Gemini 3.5 Flash as its default model worldwide, while AI Mode has passed one billion monthly users one year after launch. That scale matters: Google is not experimenting at the edges anymore; it is folding AI directly into the product billions already use. Rivals have spent the past two years making search feel chatty; Google’s answer is to own the front door and the conversation after it.
What the new Google AI search box can do
The upgraded search box is rolling out in all countries and languages where AI Mode is available, and it works across desktop and mobile. Google says users can search with text, images, files, videos, and even Chrome tabs, which is about as close as search gets to becoming a universal input field. Follow-up questions from AI Overviews can now flow straight into AI Mode, so the jump from answer to conversation is less clunky than before.
- Default model: Gemini 3.5 Flash
- Inputs: text, images, files, videos, and Chrome tabs
- Availability: desktop and mobile, globally, where AI Mode is available
Google AI Pro and Ultra perks
Google is also widening its agent plans. Search agents for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers are set to arrive this summer, running in the background to keep tabs on what users need and surfacing updates as they go. In the US, agentic booking is also expanding this summer to cover more tasks, including local experiences and services, and Google can call businesses on a user’s behalf for select categories such as home repair and beauty.
That split is classic Google: the core search experience gets the broad rollout, while the more hands-on assistant features sit behind premium plans or launch more narrowly. It is also a reminder that the company still thinks the real money is in services layered on top of search, not in search alone.
Personal Intelligence reaches 200 countries
Personal Intelligence in AI Mode is also expanding to more people in about 200 countries and territories in 98 languages, with no subscription required. Users can connect Gmail and Google Photos, which gives the assistant more personal context without forcing them into a paid tier. That is the kind of move that makes competitors nervous: once an assistant knows your inbox, your photos, and your habits, switching costs stop being theoretical.
The bigger question is whether people will actually prefer this over the old search muscle memory. Google clearly thinks the answer is yes, and with the search bar now acting more like a guided AI interface than a blunt text field, it may be right sooner than a lot of skeptics expect.