On Tuesday, Google unveiled significant advancements to its famed search bar by integrating extensive artificial intelligence capabilities. This move marks a pivotal evolution for the world’s most-visited website, as the tech giant simultaneously revisits its venture into high-tech eyewear. Over a decade after the initial release of Google Glass, which faced ridicule and earned wearers the nickname “glassholes,” Google is once again stepping into the realm of smart glasses.
During the annual Google I/O conference, executives revealed that the search engine will now support longer, more conversational queries. This update aims to align search interactions with how people naturally ask questions, rather than conforming to the platform’s traditional syntax. The enhancement is driven by Google’s latest AI model, Gemini 3.5, which was also announced at the event. Gemini is engineered to generate more extended text predictions based on users’ inputs and will encourage users to interact with Google’s chatbot. The search results will now feature more visual content and options to utilize Google’s AI for various tasks, such as creating calendar invites or spreadsheets.
Elizabeth Reid, who leads the Google Search team, described these updates as the most significant changes in the search engine’s nearly three-decade history, stating, “Google Search is AI search.” The global rollout began on Tuesday for both desktop and mobile platforms. With these changes, search results will resemble visually enhanced AI Overviews rather than traditional link lists, although users can still opt for the classic view via a “Web” tab. Google Search queries hit a record high last month, and since introducing the “AI Mode,” which allows users to converse with a Gemini-powered bot, the chatbot interface’s queries have doubled each quarter.
Josh Woodward, who manages the development of the Gemini AI, emphasized the aim of creating a “universal assistant” that is both personal and proactive. With 900 million monthly users, the Gemini app is gaining traction, though it currently trails behind ChatGPT’s 900 million weekly users. The inclusion of AI agents in Google’s search service signifies a broadening of AI’s reach beyond tech-savvy audiences to mainstream users. Subscribers to Google’s AI Pro and Ultra plans can create “information agents” for deep research and action plans. Additionally, a “generative user interface” will allow for custom visuals and interactive elements like dashboards, while the new Gemini Spark feature will leverage data from Google services to facilitate tasks like planning and shopping.
Google’s renewed venture into smart eyewear, in partnership with Samsung and eyewear brands Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, introduces “intelligent eyewear” set to hit the market in the fall. These glasses, equipped with cameras, will respond to voice commands and capture photos or videos. Meanwhile, Meta has been selling similar camera-enabled, voice-activated glasses since 2021 through a collaboration with EssilorLuxottica, known as the Ray-Ban Meta. Despite the 2014 launch and subsequent discontinuation of Google Glass, the current landscape reflects a growing acceptance of augmented-reality glasses, with Meta viewing them as a future growth area and Google working on a second iteration featuring in-lens displays, dubbed Project Aura.