Google just replaced the search box with an AI agent, and the web will never be the same

TL;DR

Google unveiled a radical overhaul of Search at I/O 2026, replacing the traditional search box with an AI-powered interface built on Gemini 3.5 Flash. The update introduces “information agents” that monitor the web around the clock, generative UI that builds custom tools on the fly, and mini-apps users can create in natural language.

For a quarter of a century, Google Search has opened with the same proposition: a blank white rectangle, a blinking cursor, and the implicit instruction to reduce your question to a handful of keywords. On Monday, at its annual I/O developer conference, Google declared that era over.

The company unveiledwhat it calls an “intelligent search box,” a dynamically expanding input field powered by Gemini 3.5 Flash that accepts text, images, files, video, and even open Chrome tabs. Rather than returning a list of blue links, the redesigned interface drops users into AI-generated interactive experiences, complete...

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