Google Search Goes Agentic: No User Input Required
▼ Summary
– Google plans to integrate AI agents into its search engine, allowing users to create and manage agents for tasks like tracking stock trends.
– A new “information agents” feature will proactively gather data and send alerts even when users are not actively using Google, launching for AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.
– An example shows a user asking AI Mode to monitor athlete sneaker collaborations, with the agent sending notifications when a new shoe drops.
– Google is expanding “booking agents” in Search that can contact local businesses for information, like price quotes, building on its earlier Duplex concept.
– At Google I/O, the company also announced the Gemini 3.5 Flash model as the default for AI Mode answers and improvements to Search responsiveness.
At Google I/O, the tech giant laid out its vision to transform its ubiquitous search engine into a gateway for agentic AI experiences, exposing billions of daily users to automated task management without requiring direct input. “You will be able to create, customize, and manage multiple AI agents for your many tasks, right in Search,” explains Liz Reid, Google’s head of Search. She illustrates this with an example: setting up an agent to track stock market trends and send real-time alerts when specific conditions are met.
The company is also rolling out a new underlying model, Gemini 3.5 Flash, which will serve as the global default for AI Mode answers, alongside enhancements to the Search box that make it more responsive to user queries.
Always-On Answers represent a significant shift. Through “information agents,” Google Search becomes more proactive, automating alerts based on conversational requests. “Ask Google to just keep you updated on anything, and now our agents can do work for you even if you’re not using Google,” says Robby Stein, a vice president of product for Search. “So, you could be asleep, and it’s still helping you.” This feature will debut this summer for subscribers to Google’s AI Pro and Ultra plans.
In a practical demonstration, a user asks AI Mode through the Google app to “keep me updated when any of my favorite athletes announce sneaker collabs or signature drops.” The system then generates a custom info agent that monitors for those conditions. When a new shoe drops, such as A’ja Wilson’s pink Nikes, the user receives a notification with critical context and purchase links.
Booking agents are another automation style expanding this summer. Google is iterating on earlier concepts, like the now-defunct Duplex system that called businesses to make reservations. These new agents can search for relevant context about local companies, even calling a barber shop for a price quote on a beard trim if the information isn’t listed online. The goal is to help users gather information with far less active participation.
(Source: Wired)
