Google has been synonymous with search for more than 25 years, and so how it reimagines search matters to billions of people who rely on its powerful knowledge graph. In recent years, we've seen the steady encroachment of AI Overviews and AI mode on our search experience. Now, though the transition to inserting AI into your search results seems complete, I worry that this might alter Google Search in ways that no one wants or can reverse. Google, however, tells me that's not the case.
First, Google is now on record saying that in this next chapter of search, the change it unveiled during its Google I/O 2026 keynote is, according to Google Search lead Liz Reid, "truly the biggest upgrade to our iconic search box since its debut over 25 years ago."
