What Are Google's New AI Search Agents?
At I/O 2026, Google introduced something genuinely new to Search: agents that keep working after you close the app. Information agents run continuously in the background, scanning the web for changes related to whatever you asked about, and message you when something shifts. Here's what they actually are and how to set one up.
Information agents work continuously in the background and message you only when something actually changes.
What a Search Agent Actually Is
Traditional search is reactive: you type a question, you get an answer, the interaction ends. Google's new "Search agents," announced at I/O 2026, flip that model. You describe an ongoing interest — tracking flight prices, following a specific news story, monitoring an apartment search — and the agent keeps working on it continuously, 24 hours a day, without you needing to open the app and search again every time you want an update.
Google frames this as the next evolution of Google Alerts, the notification service it launched back in 2003, except far more capable: instead of just matching keywords in new articles, an information agent reasons across sources, synthesizes what it finds, explains why a change matters, and can compare perspectives rather than just forwarding a headline.
What Happens After You Set One Up
You Describe the Goal
Open AI Mode in Search and describe what you want tracked — Google's example is "brain-dumping" every requirement for an apartment search in one go.
The Agent Scans Continuously
It looks across blogs, news sites, social posts, and Google's freshest real-time data on finance, shopping, and sports for anything matching your topic.
It Synthesizes, Not Just Forwards
Rather than a raw list of links, the agent explains what changed, why it matters, and can compare differing takes across sources.
You Get an Update, Not a Flood
Notifications arrive only when something meaningfully changes, with the option to take action directly from the update.
You can run multiple information agents at once, each tracking a completely different topic.
What People Are Actually Using Them For
Google's own examples give a good sense of the range. A person following the stock market can create an agent focused on specific companies or economic trends, monitoring share price throughout the day and summarizing earnings reports as they land. Someone planning a trip can track flight prices across multiple dates automatically. Others are using agents to follow breaking news on a specific story, keep tabs on housing or job market trends, monitor sports teams and live events, or track weather and traffic patterns relevant to a recurring commute.
Who Can Use Search Agents Right Now
Information agents began rolling out first to Google AI Ultra subscribers in the US through the "Agentic capabilities in AI Mode" experiment inside Google Labs, with Google saying broader availability would follow through summer 2026. To try one, open AI Mode in Search and look for the option to create or manage an agent — if it's not available yet, check the Labs experiments page to see whether it's live for your account and region.
Part of a Larger Shift Toward Agentic Search
Search agents didn't arrive alone. They're one piece of a broader I/O 2026 shift Google described as moving from reactive search to a continuous, agentic model — alongside generative UI that builds custom tools on the fly, a Universal Cart that persists across Search, Gemini, YouTube, and Gmail, and expanding agentic booking capabilities for things like restaurant reservations. Google CEO Sundar Pichai framed the whole announcement as a transition from AI assistants that answer to agentic systems that act, and information agents are the clearest consumer-facing example of that shift so far.
What to Keep in Mind Before You Set One Up
An agent that runs continuously in the background is a different privacy shape than a search you type and forget. It's worth reviewing what an agent is actually monitoring before you set it running long-term, and periodically checking in on which agents you still have active — it's easy to set one up for a short-term need, like an apartment search, and forget to turn it off months after you've already moved. Google's Labs experiments page is also the place to manage and delete agents you no longer need.
Because agents synthesize across sources rather than just forwarding a single article, it's also worth treating a big update the same way you'd treat any AI-generated summary — genuinely useful for catching that something changed, but worth a quick click-through to the original source before you act on anything significant, like moving money based on a market alert.
A Quick Walkthrough
1. Open AI Mode
Head to the AI Mode tab in Search or the Google app and check the Labs experiments page for agent access on your account.
2. Describe the Topic
Be as specific as you'd be with a person — include the exact criteria that matter, like a price ceiling or a specific team or company.
3. Choose How You're Notified
Decide whether you want updates as they happen or bundled into periodic summaries, depending on how time-sensitive the topic is.
4. Review and Retire Agents Regularly
Check back periodically and turn off any agent tracking something you no longer care about.
Where This Fits in Google's Broader Agent Push
Information agents are the consumer-facing piece of a much larger shift happening across Google's products in 2026, where standalone AI features are increasingly being connected into systems that can act rather than just respond. The same underlying idea shows up in Gemini's Deep Research agent, which researches continuously rather than answering once, and in Chrome's Auto browse feature, which navigates websites on your behalf rather than waiting for you to click. Search agents are simply that pattern applied to the specific problem of "things I want to know about that keep changing," which is a large enough category of everyday questions that it's worth understanding even if you're not ready to hand over agentic bookings or shopping carts just yet.
Bottom Line
Information agents are a genuinely different way of using Search — instead of you doing the repeated searching, the agent does, and only interrupts you when something's actually worth knowing. They're still early and gated mostly to AI Ultra subscribers as of mid-2026, but the direction is clear: Search is moving from something you visit to something that works for you continuously.
More AI Guides, Written Clearly
Browse our full library of AI tool guides, updated regularly as models and features change.
Common Questions
What are Google's information agents?
Information agents are AI-powered Search agents, announced at Google I/O 2026, that work continuously in the background to monitor a topic you specify — like flight prices or a news story — and alert you with a synthesized update when something changes.
How is this different from Google Alerts?
Google Alerts matches keywords in new content and forwards links. Information agents reason across many sources at once, synthesize what changed and why it matters, compare differing perspectives, and can take action rather than just sending a headline.
Who can use Search agents right now?
Information agents began rolling out first to Google AI Ultra subscribers in the US through a Labs experiment, with Google planning broader availability through summer 2026. Check the Labs experiments page in AI Mode to see if it's live for your account.
Can I run more than one information agent at a time?
Yes. You can create, customize, and manage multiple agents at once, each tracking a different topic — for example, one for flight prices and a separate one for an ongoing apartment search.
More from the creator
Explore two other projects from the same creator.