Every product search, price check and restaurant booking has started the same way since 1998: Type something short, get a list of links. That model is 25 years old. On Tuesday (May 19), Google announced it’s done with it.
At its I/O developer conference in Mountain View, Google unveiled what it called the biggest Search upgrade in over 25 years. The redesigned interface accepts text, images, documents, video and open browser tabs and responds with synthesized answers rather than a ranked list of links. Alongside it, Google launched persistent AI agents in Search that monitor topics and push notifications without being prompted.
From Keywords to Continuous Intent
One year after its debut, AI Mode has surpassed 1 billion monthly users, queries more than doubling every quarter, Google noted. VP of Search Liz Reid told reporters query volume hit an all-time high last quarter. Google Search and advertising revenue reached $60.4 billion in the first quarter, up 19% year over year. That ran counter to predictions AI-generated answers would hollow out Search’s ad business, PYMNTS found.
The redesigned interface anticipates intent, expanding as users describe what they need. Users can attach documents, images, videos and Chrome tabs to the search box, The Verge reported.
Agents That Work Without Being Asked
The more consequential announcement for commerce and payments is what Google calls information agents. Unlike tools that respond only when prompted, these agents operate continuously, monitoring topics and pushing notifications when something relevant surfaces.
Use cases range from apartment hunting to tracking product drops and financial developments, Google said. TechCrunch noted that information agents are the next evolution of Google Alerts, now built on a reasoning layer that synthesizes conflicting perspectives. They launch first for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers this summer. That’s the same rollout model governing Gemini Spark, its new personal AI agent running 24/7 on Google Cloud, integrating with Gmail, Docs and third-party services over MCP.
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Commerce Infrastructure Underneath
The company also introduced Universal Cart, built on Google Wallet, working across Search, the Gemini app, YouTube and Gmail. Once a product is added, it monitors for price drops, surfaces price history and alerts users when an item is back in stock.
The interface is new. Google’s Agent Payments Protocol creates a verifiable link between user, merchant and payment processor, with tamper-proof mandates ensuring the agent acts within user-specified boundaries, the company explained. The Universal Commerce Protocol, an open standard Google debuted earlier this year with Amazon, Shopify and Walmart, gives AI assistants a common language for any merchant without bespoke integrations.
Universal Cart arrives in Search and the Gemini app in the U.S. this summer, YouTube and Gmail to follow, with UCP-powered checkout expanding to Canada, Australia and the U.K.
What Else Was Announced at I/O
- Google launched Gemini Omni, a multimodal model that accepts image, audio, video and text input and outputs editable video grounded in real-world knowledge. Available today for paid Gemini subscribers, it’s rolling out to YouTube Shorts Remix and the Create app.
- Ask YouTube lets users search the full YouTube catalogue using natural language and follow-up questions. It’s available now for Premium subscribers in the U.S. and rolls out broadly this summer.
- Samsung and Google debuted the first Android XR audio glasses, designed with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, with Gemini integration and Maps support. They arrive this fall.
- Docs Live, a voice-driven document creation tool built on Gemini Live, lets users speak documents into existence. It rolls out this summer for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers on Android and iOS.
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