Published on: May 22, 2025 / update from: May 22, 2025 - Author: Konrad Wolfenstein
Google I/O 2025: The search giant switches to the 'Smart Google Search' AI mode-a complete reinvention of the search-Image: Xpert.digital
Search engine update: Google takes the next step
AI meets search engine: Google's risky game for market shares
At this year's Google I/O developer conference, the technology giant presented a fundamental realignment of its search engine. The new AI mode represents no less than a revolution of Google's core product. This offensive strategy takes place in an increasingly contested market in which AI-based competitors such as Chatgpt and Perplexity dispute the traditional search model. The announced innovations show how Google tries to transfer its proven business model to the AI age-a risky but possibly alternative step.
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The AI mode: a complete reinvention of the search
Google announced the AI mode as a “complete reinvention of the search” at this year's I/O Conference in Mountain View in California. This new approach, which is initially rolled out in the USA, transforms the classic search engine into a conversational, intelligent platform. Unlike the already known AI overviews, which only display summaries about the conventional search results, AI mode takes over the entire user interface.
AI mode enables users to ask complex questions and hook up in conversation. Instead of a list of links, the search engine now provides structured answers that can contain links, quotes, diagrams and detailed analyzes. "For complex inquiries, AI mode divides questions into sub-topics and carries out a variety of search queries to immerse yourself in the web," explains Google in its presentation.
A particularly innovative function is the “query fan-out” approach, in which the AI disassembled complex inquiries into numerous sub-questions and processed in parallel. In the event of demanding research, AI mode can even start “hundreds of search queries” in order to provide extensive results. This technology is driven by the new Gemini 2.5 model, which Google refers to as its “previously powerful AI model”.
Personalization and extended functions
A central innovation of AI mode is the increasing personalization of the search results. Google plans to submit tailor -made suggestions based on previous search queries. In a demonstration, Google showed how AI mode delivers restaurant recommendations based on previous bookings during a travel planning.
For the visualization of complex data, AI mode is expanded to include analysis functions. "Complex analysis and data visualization come for sports and financial issues this summer," announced Google. In a demonstration, statistics on baseball players were prepared in a tabular and graphic manner.
The new shopping functions in AI mode are particularly revolutionary. By integrating the “Shopping Graph” with over 50 billion products, users can carry out differentiated product searches. A virtual approach function makes it possible to visualize clothing on your own body by calculating the body dimensions from a photo. The “agent direct purchase function” with Google Pay is intended to fully automate the purchase process.
Gemini 2.5: The heart of the AI offensive
The foundation for Google's AI transformation is Gemini 2.5 Pro, which was presented as the company's most powerful AI model. It is multimodal designed and processes not only text, but also pictures, audio and video. A special innovation is the “Deep Think” mode, in which the AI takes several hypotheses into account in parallel when researching.
Google emphasizes that this mode has already proven itself in mathematics benchmark tests and has "achieved impressive results". The Gemini 2.5 Flash model, which is aimed at efficiency, also receives an update with improvements in the areas of logical conclusion, multimodality, programming and processing of large amounts of information.
Further improvements concern Gemini, which can now speak, whisper and even change the language in different vocal areas. With the new “Agent Mode”, the AI should also get to know the personal style of the user and, for example, propose smart replies for Gmail.
Project Astra and Mariner: The vision of the universal AI assistant
With Project Astra, Google pursues the vision of a universal, multimodal research AI, which can perceive its environment and react to it in real time. The AI developed by the Google subsidiary Deepmind should not only understand voice commands, but also recognize objects via a smartphone camera and master multitasking.
The prototype “Project Mariner” goes one step further and should be able to coordinate up to ten tasks at the same time. This experimental assistant can automatically manage complex processes such as bookings and purchases. Google CEO Sundar Pichai described these developments as a “new phase of the AI platform shift, in which research is now becoming a reality for people around the world”.
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AI becomes a business model: Premium subscriptions
Google also presented two paid AI packages at the conference: Google AI Pro (formerly AI Premium) for 21.99 euros per month and Google AI Ultra for $ 249.99 a month. The ultra subscription is aimed at professional users and offers access to the most powerful AI models and extensive additional functions.
The Ultra package includes, among other things:
- The “absolutely best version” of the Gemini app with the highest usage limits
- New AI tools such as “Flow” for film productions and “whisk” to visualize ideas
- YouTube Premium for ad -free streaming
- 30 Terabyte Cloud memory for Google Photos, Drive and Gmail
This subscription model shows that Google KI not only sees as a supplement to existing services, but also developed as an independent business area. With Chatgpt Pro, Openai already offers a comparable subscription for $ 200 a month.
The competition is on the neck: a competitive market
Google's AI offensive takes place in an increasingly competitive environment. At the end of 2024 Openai introduced a search function with Chatgpt Search that makes the chat bot a direct alternative to Google. The service can display current search results such as sports results, news and share prices with links to relevant sources.
The up-and-coming AI startup perplexity is also a growing threat. The company founded in 2022 has developed a AI that searches the Internet for users for information and stands in direct competition with chatt and Google. Perplexity founder Aravind Srinivas has ambitious goals: "In five or ten years we can be larger than Chrome," he is quoted.
These new providers pursue a fundamental approach than the traditional web search: they provide concrete answers instead of the web. If such search behavior prevails, the Googlees could endanger previous business model, which still generates most of its income from search ads.
Long -term symbiosis of search and AI: a risky transformation
Google's new AI strategy represents a balancing act: On the one hand, the company has to revolutionize its core product, the search, in order to be able to survive against AI-based competitors. On the other hand, this transformation potentially endangers its own business model, which is based on the imparting of webtraffic and the associated advertising.
Significantly, Google lost at the I/O conference “No word on the effects of AI on websites and SEO”, although the AI mode will “have a comprehensive impact on the operators of websites”. A study had already shown that the AI overviews led to “35% lower average click rates for top ranking pages”. The AI mode, which partially replaces on the left, could increase this development.
However, Google seems to be ready to take the risk. The search is Google's most important product and the USA is the largest market. Even small changes can have a major impact on the company's sales and reputation. Nevertheless, Google relies on a fundamental transformation: from “googling” to “Googling” in AI mode.
A turning point for the Internet
The Google I/O 2025 marks a turning point not only for Google, but for the entire way we are looking for information on the Internet. AI mode is more than just a new feature-it represents a fundamental paradigm shift from the link-based to the response-based search.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai summed it up: "What all of this progress means is that in a new phase of the AI platform shift, research in research has now become reality for people around the world". Whether this vision will open and whether Google can preserve its dominance in the digital information age will be shown in the coming years.
One thing is certain: the era of simple “googling” comes to an end. The future belongs to intelligent, personalized and context -related viewfinder experiences that not only provide information, but can also understand and carry out complex tasks. Google has put its cards on the table with AI mode-now a new chapter in digital competition begins.
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