Google’s AI Overhaul: Search Gets Smarter, Shopping Gets Personal

From Deep Search to Virtual Try-Ons, Here’s What’s New

Google is doubling down on AI with a sweeping update to its search and creative tools. The headline? AI Mode in Search, now rolling out in the U.S. as an opt-in via Labs. Early adopters get immediate access to Deep Search and Live capabilities—part of Project Astra—with Search Live launching this summer. But that’s just the start. Project Mariner is integrating agentic features, letting AI handle event tickets and reservations. Soon, it’ll tackle complex data analysis for sports and finance queries, complete with visualizations.

“This isn’t just about answering questions—it’s about completing tasks,” says a Google insider. “AI Mode is the first step toward a truly agentic future.”

Shopping gets a futuristic twist, too. The new AI Mode shopping experience includes virtual try-ons for apparel (U.S.-only for now) and an agentic checkout that tracks prices automatically. Meanwhile, Gemini—Google’s flagship AI—gets a major upgrade. Gemini 2.5 Pro and Flash now lead in WebDev and LM benchmarks, with interactive quizzes, Live camera/screen sharing (iOS/Android), and deeper Drive/Gmail integration. Security gets a boost with thought summaries and Deep Think mode, while Gemini Diffusion promises sharper text/code generation.

Creative Tools, Hardware, and a Subscription Gamble

For creators, Google unveiled Veo 3 (video+audio), Imagen 4 (2K resolution), and Lyria 2 (music). SynthID has watermarked over 10B pieces of content, and a Detector portal is in testing. On the hardware front, Android XR glasses (Samsung Project Moohan) and Project Astra prototypes—designed to assist blind users—hint at a wearables push. Google Beam, a 3D video call tool, is launching with Zoom and HP.

“The line between search and action is blurring,” notes a developer at I/O. “Google’s betting big on AI as an interface.”

But the biggest gamble might be Google AI Ultra, a $249.99/month subscription (with a 50% intro discount) bundling 30 TB storage and YouTube Premium. The cheaper AI Pro tier ($19.99/month) includes Flow and NotebookLM. Developers aren’t left out: Gemini API updates, Jules (a GitHub agent), and Wear OS 6 aim to cement Google’s ecosystem. The numbers tell the story: Gemini app hits 400M monthly users, while AI Overviews reach 1.5B. With 480T tokens processed monthly—a 50x YoY jump—Google’s AI isn’t just growing; it’s evolving.