I’ve been intrigued by how Google Search is set to transform. Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Alphabet, recently shared on the Cheeky Pint podcast that search is moving away from just providing information and answers. Instead, it’s evolving into a dynamic system that can complete tasks for us.
Why this matters to us: This shift marks Google’s transition from being a tool for information retrieval to becoming an assistant in task execution, which I’m sure will enhance our web interactions significantly.
Search’s agentic evolution: Sundar Pichai illustrates that our traditional way of searching is already seeing changes, and it’s only going to continue evolving.
He mentioned, “If I fast-forward, a lot of what are just information-seeking queries will be agentic in Search. You’ll be completing tasks. You’ll have many threads running.”
Pichai envisions a future where Google Search serves more as an agent manager, coordinating various actions for us. It’s like having multiple agents accomplishing different tasks, allowing us to get so much more done efficiently.
The CEO notes, “Search would be an agent manager in which you’re doing a lot of things. I think in some ways, I use Antigravity today, and you have a bunch of agents doing stuff. I can see search doing versions of those things, and you’re getting a bunch of stuff done.”
AI Mode’s impact: Pichai highlights that users are adapting their search behavior with Google’s AI functionalities. Even now, people perform deep research queries that redefine traditional search activities, implying that we’re already on a path to using search for more complex, long-running tasks.
He explains, “But today in AI Mode in Search, people do deep research queries. That doesn’t quite fit the definition of what you’re saying. But people adapted to that. I think people will do long-running tasks.”
Search and Gemini coexistence: Despite the introduction of Gemini, Sundar assures us that Google Search isn’t going anywhere. Instead, both will coexist and evolve together, balancing between some areas of overlap and profound divergence. This dual strategy aims to enhance how we utilize these technologies daily.
“We are doing both Search and Gemini. They will overlap in certain ways. They will profoundly diverge in certain ways. I think it’s good to have both and embrace it,” he shared.
The full interview: For more insights, you might want to watch The history and future of AI at Google, with Sundar Pichai on YouTube.
Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
