Google · 2026-05-19 · major
Google Reinvents the Search Box for the First Time in 25 Years — Always-On Information Agents, Generative UI, Custom Mini-Apps, and Gemini 3.5 Flash as the Default Model in AI Mode
Google announced its biggest Search overhaul since the search box debuted: a dynamically expanding multimodal input, background "information agents" that monitor the web for users, generative UI in results, and Gemini 3.5 Flash as the default AI Mode model.
The Google Search box gets its first major redesign since it shipped, plus background agents that watch the web for you.
What is it?
Google announced the biggest change to its Search front door since the original Google home page launched. The reimagined search box dynamically expands to take longer, conversational queries and accepts mixed inputs — text, images, files, video, and full Chrome tabs. Underneath, Gemini 3.5 Flash becomes the default model in AI Mode for every market where AI Mode is live.
How does it work?
Three other capabilities ride on top of the new box. Information Agents (AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, starting this summer) sit in the background 24/7 across web and real-time data sources, pinging you when something you asked them to watch changes. Generative UI builds interactive widgets — trackers, dashboards, comparisons — inside the result page itself rather than returning a link list. A mini-app builder lets users assemble personalized tools in Search via natural-language commands. All of this connects to Antigravity for the heavier custom builds.
Why does it matter?
AI Mode passed 1B monthly users in just over a year and query volume more than doubled last quarter. Today's announcement is Google moving its AI bets from a sidecar (Bard, Gemini app) to the main entry point that 5B+ people use every day. It also reframes Search from "link list" to "agent dispatcher," the most explicit move yet in the broader shift from page-ranking to task-completion.
Who is it for?
Search users, SEO teams, agent builders, anyone watching Google's AI strategy
Try it
The new Search box rolls out today wherever AI Mode is available — try it at https://www.google.com