Finally, the Google I/O announcement you've been waiting for. With Google transforming search into an AI-driven experience, it was only a matter of time before AI ads entered the fray. As part of its Google I/O week announcements, the company previewed how Gemini-powered, conversational ads will start appearing in search results. Fortunately, all of the new AI-generated ad formats will be labeled as sponsored. Google is testing two new ad types in AI Mode, both powered by an independent AI explainer.

Eyes in the tech world have turned toward Mountain View, California this week. The San Francisco Bay Area city is where Google's headquarters is located, making it a logical place to hold the company's annual developer conference. That's right, gang, Google I/O 2026 kicked off on Tuesday with the usual opening keynote, which is where the company reveals what's arguably the event's most relevant info for consumers. Google made a ton of Android announcements last week, so its mobile ecosystem wasn't really on the agenda. But what else could the onus possibly have been on if not AI? We heard the word Gemini more times than I could possibly care to count, and the company had many updates to share on that front. Search, Google's longtime bread and butter, was a big focus of the event. The company talked up a new Ask YouTube feature as well as changes to AI subscription pricing and Workspace features like Docs and Gmail.

Instead of clicking on a bunch of random website links, I was reading an AI summary positioned at the top of my search results and sometimes clicking through to double-check the accuracy of the output. The next evolution of Search that Google is building asks for even less active participation from users. You're really the most involved at the start of the journey, and that's it. You tell the agents what you want to know, and they do the clicking and even calling on your behalf. Rather than you going off on some online adventure, it's the agent that's hoovering up anything it can find and bouncing between different sites.

Google is transforming its search engine into an AI-powered assistant called Spark, featuring conversational interactions and a personalized'daily brief' for task management. PCWorld reports the company is expanding mobile search capabilities to handle complex queries using text, images, and video while integrating restaurant reservations and payments. This evolution blurs the line between traditional search and AI assistance, keeping users within Google's ecosystem through proactive monitoring and personalized results.

PCWorld reports that Google is exploring adding advertisements to its Gemini AI app, following OpenAI's implementation of sponsored ads in ChatGPT's free and budget plans. Google's business chief Philipp Schindler views ads as potentially valuable commercial information if properly integrated, while the company has already tested ads in AI Mode and AI Overviews. This move could make AI services more accessible but raises important concerns about maintaining transparency and ensuring ads don't influence AI responses. Putting ads in AI replies is a controversial but lucrative practice, and it's one that OpenAI has already embraced with its free and budget-priced ChatGPT plans. But while Google hasn't gone there yet with Gemini, company execs admitted they're mulling the idea.

The app reads your email inbox and your meeting calendar, then gives you a short audio summary. It can help you spend less time scrolling, but of course, there are privacy drawbacks to consider.

WIRED spoke with Nick Fox, Google's SVP of knowledge and information, about how AI is changing the company's advertising business. Google executives have insisted for months that the company has no immediate plans to put ads in Gemini. But in an interview with WIRED, Google's senior vice president of knowledge and information, Nick Fox, says the tech giant is "not ruling them out." "I would expect that the learnings that we get from ads in AI Mode would likely carry over to what we might want to do in the Gemini app down the road," says Fox. "It's an odd thing to say, but our research shows that users actually like ads within the context of Search. Over time, we'll figure out what makes sense in the Gemini app." Google has spent the past year racing to catch up with OpenAI in the AI chatbot market.

PCWorld reports that Google Search's AI Mode now incorporates Personal Intelligence, mining data from Gmail and Google Photos to deliver customized search results and travel recommendations. This development matters as it represents Google's push toward highly personalized AI experiences while users retain control over which services connect and how data is used. Google assures that personal data from these services won't be used to train its AI models, addressing privacy concerns as the feature expands beyond Gemini chatbot. Earlier this month, Google said its Gemini AI chatbot will be getting to know you a lot better thanks to a new Personal Intelligence feature that scours your digital life. Now, the company has announced that Personal Intelligence is also coming to Google Search's AI Mode . By connecting Gmail and Google Photos to Personal Intelligence, for example, the search engine's AI Mode will be able to provide you with search results tailored specifically to you. For example, AI Mode will use hotel bookings in your Gmail inbox and old travel photos in your Google Photos albums to recommend activities for an upcoming holiday.

Bungie's Marathon arrives on March 5 How to claim Verizon's $20 outage credit Google is rolling out Personal Intelligence for AI Mode in Search. After adding Personal Intelligence to Gemini as an opt-in experience, Google has announced that it's also integrating the feature into AI Mode in Search. What Personal Intelligence does is pull information from your Google apps to tailor its responses based on your history and interests. For Search, in particular, you can allow Personal Intelligence to look for information in your Gmail accounts and Google Photos libraries. If you use AI Mode to shop for clothes with the new feature enabled, for instance, Google could recommend items or models from a brand you previously purchased from.

Google introduces a new'Checkout' feature in Gemini and Search AI Mode, allowing US users to make direct purchases through conversations with AI. PCWorld reports that Google launched the Universal Commerce Protocol alongside major retailers like Shopify, Etsy, Walmart, and Target for seamless integration. Users can complete transactions using Google Pay or PayPal, streamlining online shopping by eliminating the need to navigate to separate websites. Google is launching a "Checkout" feature in its Gemini AI chatbot as well as in Google Search's AI Mode, according to a recent blog post . The feature allows users to purchase products without leaving the chat or search interface. Purchases can be completed with Google Pay or PayPal. At the same time, Google is also unveiling its Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP). This is an open standard that enables different AI agents, payment systems, and shops to work seamlessly together.