Even If You’re Not a Fan of AI, You’ll Still Rely on Google AI Search

Seventeen years have passed since I attended the renowned weekly search quality meeting in the Ouagadougou conference room at Google’s Mountain View campus. On that Thursday morning, about thirty-six engineers, product managers, and executives gathered around a table or lounged on the floor to deliberate over why specific search queries or categories failed to produce ideal results and to propose solutions. In 2010, those discussions prompted Google to implement 550 changes to its search algorithm, a figure that appeared quite impressive at the time.

That recollection feels like a relic. At Google’s I/O developer conference this week, the keynote speaker—search lead Liz Reid—officially relegated traditional search to virtual obscurity. This marks a continuation of a shift that commenced two years ago when Google rolled out “AI Overview,” its summaries that prominently reside at the top of the search results page, effectively overshadowing the famous “10 blue links.” By that point, those links had already become diluted, often obscured by aggregators, spam, and Google’s own shopping results and maps. Now, in what Reid characterized as the most significant transformation to the search function in the company’s history, users engage directly with the latest iteration of Google’s Gemini. The term “query” now feels outdated, as human inputs transform into conversation starters for AI collaboration. This process can even leverage personal data that Google possesses, which can be extensive. The response to a query might evolve into a tailored presentation, potentially enhanced by AI agents exploring digital backroads for information. The metamorphosis is complete. Onstage, Google boldly stated: “Google Search is AI Search.”

The search box once served as a gateway to the web. The new “intelligent” box invites users to request a Gemini-driven, customized response to their queries, sometimes even generating a unique mini-publication with charts, bullet points, and animations on the fly. Google formerly prided itself on deciphering cryptic search terms to uncover user intent. Now, it prompts users to partake in a conversational interaction with Gemini. To underscore this shift, Google representatives at the conference donned T-shirts emblazoned with “Ask Me Anything,” mirroring the prompts that Gemini offers. Just like the computerized version, if you asked these smiling aides for directions, the answer wouldn’t lead to a website click.

Our digital existence today stands at a challenging crossroads. AI appears to be steering every business model, and giants such as Google are integrating AI into all their products and operations. Simultaneously, there’s a growing wave of resistance and even distaste as this powerful and unsettling technology permeates our lives. Just listen to the boos that arise when commencement speakers mention AI. Yet, from Google’s perspective, AI search—if that’s still what you want to call it—is an inevitability that even its critics will eventually accept.

I was one of those who initially bristled at the rollout of AI Overview in 2024. Now I recognize that Overview—and the deeper “AI Mode” it encourages users to adopt—is generally superior for many tasks, whether it’s checking if Saturday Night Live has a new episode, getting clarification on an agentic harness, or simply finding a link. When I searched for my WIRED article detailing the meeting in the Ouagadougou, the blue links proved less than helpful. However, when I articulated in straightforward terms what I was looking for, I accessed it immediately.

So it’s evidently effective. Google asserts that over a billion people each month are utilizing AI Mode, a distinct tab on Google’s website where links are considerably less prominent. Queries in AI Mode are doubling every quarter.