Google Aims to Transform Search into a More AI-Assistant-Like Experience by 2025

During the company’s earnings call on Tuesday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai discussed the ongoing “journey” of AI within Google Search. This journey commenced with AI overviews, marking a significant and contentious evolution in how Google conveys information to its billions of Search users.

However, this is merely the beginning.

Pichai stated during his introductory remarks that, “As AI broadens the range of queries individuals can pose, 2025 is poised to be a landmark year for innovations in search.”

Throughout the call, Pichai outlined the forthcoming phase of Google’s strategy to enhance Search with AI functionalities powered by the company’s research lab, DeepMind. The Search product is gradually transforming into more of an AI assistant, scouring the web and delivering answers based on the content it finds.

This evolution represents a significant departure from the traditional search system that simply offers ten blue links.

Google has been on this trajectory for several years, especially after the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in 2022 caught the search giant off guard. This transformation holds substantial ramifications for websites that depend on Google for traffic and for businesses that invest in Google Search advertising.

While not everyone is thrilled about these changes, Google is forging ahead.

In response to inquiries about AI and the future of Search, Pichai stated, “You can envision the future with Project Astra,” referring to DeepMind’s multimodal AI system capable of processing live video and providing real-time answers to user inquiries.

Google has ambitious plans for Project Astra beyond just Search. The company aspires to eventually use this multimodal AI to drive a pair of augmented reality smart glasses, for which it plans to develop the operating system.

Pichai also highlighted the Gemini Deep Research feature – an AI agent that can automate the creation of long research reports – as having the potential to transform how users engage with Google Search. Deep Research aims to automate tasks traditionally performed using Google Search, with Google now looking to conduct that research on behalf of its users.

“We are significantly broadening the types of use cases for Search – addressing questions that may not have immediate answers and can take time to resolve,” Pichai mentioned. “These are exploration areas, and throughout 2025, you will see us introducing new experiences to users.”

Pichai also remarked that Google possesses a “clear sense” of how to leverage another AI initiative, Project Mariner, designed to interact with website front-ends on behalf of users, potentially eliminating the need for users to manually access websites.

Furthermore, Pichai noted there’s a “chance” for more user engagement with Google Search, hinting at possibilities for follow-up inquiries. While he provided scant details, it seems Google is contemplating making its Search interface more chatbot-like.

“I believe the [Search] product will continue to evolve,” Pichai stated. “By facilitating easier interaction and follow-up questions, I see an opportunity for us to foster further growth.”

Currently, ChatGPT has developed into one of the most widely used platforms on the internet, boasting hundreds of millions of users weekly. This poses an existential threat to the long-term business of Google Search. To combat this challenge, Google is not only creating a competing AI chatbot with Gemini, but also integrating AI features directly into Search.

However, the initial rollout of AI overviews in Google Search did not go as planned. When introduced, the system generated inaccurate and bizarre AI hallucinations, recommending actions such as eating rocks or applying glue to pizza. Google acknowledged at the time that AI overviews required further refinement.

Despite this rocky start, it seems that Google is just embarking on its journey to integrate AI into Search.