Buckle up: Google is set to remake search with agentic AI in 2026
# Google Is Transforming Search Into an AI Chatbot Google is making its search engine work more like a chatbot that has conversations with you instead of just showing you a list of links—and it's working spectacularly well, with over a billion people now using this AI version every month. The company is aggressively pushing everyone toward this new experience because each follow-up question you ask counts as a new search, boosting Google's numbers and keeping you engaged longer on their platform. Since Google is the dominant search company and isn't charging for this feature, they can essentially force this change on everyone whether people like it or not.
Last year marked the beginning of Google's explicit focus on AI search, and this year's I/O solidified that shift. As Google's search VP Liz Reid said during the keynote, "Google search is AI search." This change is well underway, and the very reasonable objections to this path will not dissuade the
More from Best AI Tools
Get new guides every week
Real AI income strategies, tool reviews, and plain-English news — free in your inbox.