Sundar Pichai says a 'profound' shift is coming to Google Search

Google Search

Google Search has been around for more than 25 years now. Over the two decades-and-a-half, Google has made many big changes to its search engine. Now, Google CEO Sundar Pichai says that a massive change is coming to the company’s most popular service. At the New York Times’ DealBook Summit, Pichai said that Search will “change profoundly” in the next year. Elaborating on what means, Pichai said “I think we are going to be able to tackle more complex questions than ever before.”

Pichai also said that there will be a lot of new things that Search will be able to in 2025. “I think you’ll be surprised, even early in ‘25, the kind of newer things Search can do compared to where it is today.”

More AI in search?

While Pichai didn’t comment on what the major changes will be, it is expected that the AI push will continue in Search. Google already has AI Overviews which gives a summary of search above the links that traditionally appear on the search page. Google has also hinted — something which Pichai hinted at — that AI Overviews will be able to help with increasingly complex questions. “Rather than breaking your question into multiple searches, you can ask them with all the nuances you have in mind, all in one go,” says Google about AI overviews.

Google has already showcased a visual search tool. With Lens in Search, users will be able to ask their queries by posting video or audio. The feature is in beta testing phase but we could see it being rolled out in 2025.