Google rebrands search as AI-driven platform amid creator concerns
The tech giant claims over one billion monthly users now engage with AI Mode, but critics warn the move threatens traditional web content and journalism.
At its I/O developer conference, Google officially rebranded its search engine as "AI Search," integrating the Gemini model directly into the search interface. Head of Search Liz Reid announced that traditional "blue links" have been down-ranked in favour of AI-generated summaries and conversational interactions. The company claims over one billion monthly users now engage with "AI Mode," which uses AI agents to create bespoke, interactive responses.
This announcement marks the culmination of a strategic shift that began two years ago with the introduction of "AI Overview," summaries that sit at the top of search results. Reid described the current change as the most significant alteration to the search box in the company’s history, moving away from a portal to the open web towards a system where human inputs serve as conversation starters for AI collaboration.
Search Vice President Robby Stein described the new capability as dispatching an "armada of AI agents" to create dynamic layouts, interactive widgets, and entire experiences on the fly. Google states that overall searches are at a record high, with AI Mode queries doubling every quarter. The company argues that this shift makes information more accessible, though it relies on scraping billions of web pages daily to gather facts for personalised responses rather than simply indexing them.
Despite Google’s assertions, critics warn the shift threatens traditional web content creators and journalists by burying original links and potentially spreading misinformation. Reid disputes the theory that AI search is a "rug-pull" for the traditional web, insisting that original voices will still find an audience. However, she acknowledged that the technology is not perfect and that errors or fabrications in Gemini-generated answers remain a concern, though their frequency is not quantified.
Google does not share specific metrics on how many users click from AI-generated responses to the underlying links, despite Reid’s assertion that users often do so. While Reid confirmed that search quality meetings still occur, they are now spread across several sessions, with the goal of maintaining human judgment remaining central to the process. The long-term impact on traffic for news sites and original content creators remains uncertain.
