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Search Box 2.0
Google is changing what it means to Google by redesigning its search box into a dynamic input that expands with longer queries and lets users drop in videos, pictures and files for what Google calls "multimodal" search.
“Users can also drop videos, pictures and files into it for what Google calls "multimodal" search.”
NPR reports that Liz Reid, who oversees search at Google, said the shift merges artificial intelligence and traditional web search, bringing "the best of web and the best of AI together."
The NPR piece also says Google is merging AI and web search behind the scenes, with a move that includes "AI Overviews"—short summaries—at the top of some search results for about a year.
In parallel, Google is introducing agentic functionality to search so users can ask it to do tasks over time, including searching for theater tickets at regular intervals and conducting a weekly scan of the internet for local events.
NPR adds that critics warn the change could muddy the provenance of information and take agency away from users, including the possibility that a chatbot returns a summary with only a few links to further information.
Usage, clicks, and control
Search Engine Journal says Google launched a core update and described it as the biggest upgrade to the Search box in over 25 years, while also releasing first-party AI Mode usage data.
That same Search Engine Journal roundup reports that AI Mode has over 1 billion monthly users, with queries doubling each quarter, and it says searches are thrice as long as traditional ones.
In the NPR account, Reid said users have started to ask longer questions with more natural language, and she said, "They're asking the question that they really have."
PCMag adds that Google says information agents will work in the background 24-7 to "find exactly what you need at exactly the right moment," perusing blogs, news sites, social media posts, and real-time data like finance and sports results.
HuffPost frames the user-facing shift as a conversation powered by Gemini 3.5 Flash in AI Mode, and it quotes a Google spokesperson saying users will continue to see blue links on the search results page in addition to AI responses.
Publishers and the stakes
The stakes for publishers and the broader web are central to the debate around AI Overviews, with NPR warning that a chatbot-style response could return fewer links than traditional web search.
“few people click through to check the original source material.”
PCMag reports that digital publishers worldwide are less enthusiastic, and it describes the concern that AI systems like Gemini pull information from sites while "few people click through to check the original source material."
In the UK, Siècle Digital says the competition regulator is drawing attention to AI Overviews and that Sarah Cardell, CMA chief executive, said the proposals must offer more choice and control, including an explicit right of refusal for publishers.
BDM adds that Robby Stein, Google's vice president of product for Search, announced on Tuesday, February 17, an update to how links are displayed in AI Overviews and AI Mode, with links to sources appearing in a hover-activated pop-up.
TechCrunch illustrates a practical edge case of the new experience by describing what happens when users type "disregard" into Google Search, where the Merriam-Webster link is still present but requires scrolling past a huge block of empty space.
