At the Google I/O 2026 event, Google announced one of the biggest changes to Search in recent years: integrating AI agents directly into the search engine.
Instead of just returning a list of links as before, Google now wants Search to function like an 'AI assistant that continuously monitors information' — where users can create multiple AI agents for each topic they are interested in.
This marks a significant shift from a 'search on demand' model to a 'proactive AI monitoring and updating on behalf of the user' model.
What are Google Information Agents?
Google calls this new feature information agents — AI agents that can operate continuously in the background to monitor information in real time.
Unlike traditional search engines that only respond when users enter a query, new AI agents can independently monitor information, aggregate data from multiple sources, analyze changes, and then send updates when important content appears.
In other words, instead of having to manually Google the same topic every day, users can now simply tell the AI what they're interested in, and the system will track it for them.
Google says this is part of its strategy to develop 'agentic AI' — AI systems that can proactively support ongoing tasks instead of just answering individual questions.
How is this feature different from Google Alerts?
When looking at information agents, many people will immediately think of Google Alerts — the information tracking service that Google launched in 2003.
In fact, Google also views the new AI agent as the 'next generation' of Google Alerts. But the major difference lies in the AI's ability to reason and synthesize information.
Traditional Google Alerts primarily only send notifications when there are new articles containing relevant keywords. In contrast, the new AI agent can read from multiple sources, analyze the information, then compare various perspectives and draw more contextual conclusions.
This makes the search experience begin to function more like an 'AI research assistant' than a conventional search engine.
What can AI agents do?
Google says that information agents can support a wide range of daily workflows. For example, if monitoring the stock market, users can create a dedicated AI agent to monitor it:
- Share
- Company
- Earnings report
- Economic trends
The agent will monitor market fluctuations throughout the day, detect breaking news, compile financial reports, and send summaries when significant changes occur.
Of course, the applications of this feature are not limited to the financial sector. Google says that AI agents can also track a range of essential information such as:
- Airfare
- Sports results update
- Monitoring breaking news
- Monitor the job market or real estate market.
- Weather update
- Traffic warning
The key point is that users no longer need to constantly go back to Search to check the information.
How to use Google AI Agents in search
Google says the new feature will work through AI Mode in Search.
To use it, users simply need to:
- Open AI Mode
- Type prompts in a natural conversational style.
- To have AI continuously monitor that topic.
For example, Google provides a sample prompt:
'Please let me know when tickets for 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' become available near my area.'
Once set up, the AI agent will run in the background. When relevant information becomes available, the Google app will send a push notification directly to your phone.
All monitored topics will also appear in AI Mode History, allowing users to edit the prompt, fine-tune the monitoring scope, or turn off the agent at any time.
This makes the Search experience begin to resemble a dashboard for managing a personal AI workflow more than a traditional search engine.
For many years, the way people used search engines remained largely unchanged: think of a question → enter keywords → open a link → automatically compile information. But AI agents are changing that workflow in a much more proactive way. Instead of constantly searching for information, users simply tell the AI what they are interested in. The system will then automatically monitor, compile, and update the information for them.
This is also why Google calls this a step towards 'agentic AI systems' — AI systems that can proactively support continuous tasks instead of just responding to individual prompts. If this model develops correctly, Search in the future could function more like an 'AI operating layer' for the internet than a traditional search website.
Google says information agents will begin rolling out this summer. Initially, the feature will be available to Google AI Pro and Google AI Ultra users in the US before expanding to other markets.
This shows that Google is viewing AI agents as a crucial part of its AI subscription strategy, rather than just a secondary feature in Search. That's also why AI agents are considered one of the most notable changes to Google Search in recent years.