Google Search is undergoing a significant transformation, with plans to integrate more AI features and evolve into an AI assistant in 2025. CEO Sundar Pichai announced during the company's earnings call that Google is packing Search with AI features from its research lab, DeepMind. This shift aims to move beyond the traditional search system of ten blue links, offering users a more interactive and informative experience.

Pichai emphasized that 2025 will be a pivotal year for search innovation, driven by the expansion of AI capabilities. Google's vision involves Search proactively browsing the internet, analyzing web pages, and delivering comprehensive answers to user queries.

"As AI continues to expand the universe of queries that people can ask, 2025 is going to be one of the biggest years for search innovation yet."— Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google

Several AI projects are slated to enhance Google Search. Project Astra, a multimodal AI system developed by DeepMind, can process live video and answer user questions in real-time. This technology could power operating systems for glasses, allowing users to interact with their surroundings through AI.

Another promising feature is Deep Research, an AI agent that automates the creation of long research reports. Instead of users manually searching Google Scholar or using advanced search filters, Deep Research will generate detailed reports with key findings, source links, and related content, exportable to Google Docs. Pichai noted that this feature could fundamentally change how people use Google Search, expanding its use cases to tasks that require more in-depth information gathering.

Google is also exploring the potential of AI agents like Mariner, which can interact with websites on behalf of users. This system could navigate websites, fill out forms, and complete tasks, eliminating the need for users to directly interact with web interfaces. Furthermore, Pichai hinted at plans to make the Search interface more conversational, allowing users to ask follow-up questions and engage in a more interactive dialogue with Google Search.

While Google has faced challenges in the initial rollout of AI overviews, the company remains committed to integrating AI into Search. Despite some inaccuracies and "weird AI hallucinations" in early iterations, Google is pushing forward with its vision.

This AI-driven transformation of Google Search comes as the company faces increasing competition from AI chatbots like ChatGPT. By integrating AI directly into Search, Google aims to address this challenge and maintain its dominance in the search market. Google is also continuously working on improving Gemini, an AI model that powers several other Google products.

Analysts at Morningstar see Alphabet’s AI strategy as solid, with AI being leveraged in advertising and Google Cloud. Google Search revenue expanded 13% year over year, augmented by AI investments like the new Shopping section that saw a 13% increase in daily active US users in December 2024.

With these advancements, Google hopes to deliver a more intelligent, efficient, and user-friendly search experience in the years to come.