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Google I/O 2026: Search Box gets biggest redesign in 25 years, AI Mode runs on Gemini 3.5 Flash

By Loki Yan2 min read

Google announced a sweeping set of Search updates at Google I/O 2026 on May 19, including what the company calls the biggest redesign of its Search box in over 25 years, a tighter integration between AI Overviews and AI Mode, and a new default model for AI Mode globally: Gemini 3.5 Flash.

The new Search box is the most visible change. Google rebuilt the input field around AI, replacing the traditional single-line keyword box with an intelligent input area that dynamically expands as users describe what they need. The box now accepts text, images, files, videos, and even Chrome tabs as inputs. As users type, the box offers AI-powered suggestions that go beyond standard autocomplete, helping translate vague curiosity into a more specific question. The new Search box began rolling out today across all countries and languages where AI Mode is available.

Google also collapsed the boundary between AI Overviews and AI Mode. Users can now ask follow-up questions directly from an AI Overview and flow into a multi-turn conversation in AI Mode without losing context. As the conversation deepens, the supporting links and references update to stay relevant. The feature is live globally today across desktop and mobile.

Powering both upgrades is Gemini 3.5 Flash, released the same day. Koray Kavukcuoglu, CTO of Google DeepMind, and three co-authors announced the model in a separate post, confirming it is now the default model in the Gemini app and in AI Mode in Google Search. A Pro version of Gemini 3.5 is planned for next month.

AI Mode has grown quickly since launching a year ago. Elizabeth Reid, VP of Search, said in a blog post that AI Mode has surpassed one billion monthly active users, with queries "more than doubling every quarter" since launch and hitting an all-time high last quarter. Making Gemini 3.5 Flash the AI Mode default is Google's most direct application of its latest model to its largest product.

Google announced several other Search updates at I/O as well: Search Agents (24/7 background information agents), Antigravity-powered generative UI and mini-apps inside Search, and an expansion of Personal Intelligence to nearly 200 countries and 98 languages. These features will roll out over the coming months.

The deeper AI Overviews and AI Mode integration means less traffic to publisher sites, but higher-quality traffic. Google is filtering an extra layer of low-intent visits before users click through. The remaining clicks come from users whose intent has already been refined by the AI, which shifts the conversation from traffic volume to traffic structure.