Google says AI search is driving an ‘expansionary moment’

Google Search is entering an “expansionary moment” driven by longer queries, more follow-up questions, and growing use of voice and images. That’s according to Alphabet’s executives who spoke on last night’s Q4 earnings call.

• In other words: Google Search is evolving into AI-driven experiences where conversations increasingly happen inside Google’s own interfaces.

Why we care. AI in Google Search is no longer an experiment. It is a structural change that is altering user behavior and is reshaping discovery, visibility, and traffic across the web.

By the numbers. Alphabet’s Q4 advertising revenue totaled $82.284 billion, up 13.5% from $72.461 billion 2024:

• Google Search & other: $63.073 billion (up 16.7%)
• YouTube: $11.383 billion (up 8.7%)
• Google Network: $7.828 billion ( down 1.5%)

Alphabet’s 2025 fiscal year advertising revenue totaled $294.691 billion, up 11.4% from $264.590 billion in 2024:

• Google Search & other: $224,532 billion (up 13.4%)
• YouTube: $40.367 billion (up 11.7%)
• Google Network: $29.792 billion ( down 1.9%)

AI Overviews and AI Mode are now core to Search. Alphabet/Google CEO Sundar Pichai said Google shipped aggressively on AI-powered search features in Q4, underscoring how central they’ve become to the product.

• “We shipped over 250 product launches, within AI mode and AI overviews just last quarter,” Pichai said.

This includes Google upgrading AI Overviews to its Gemini 3 model. He said Google has worked to tightly connect AI Overviews with conversational search.

• “We have also made the search experience more cohesive ensuring the transition from an AI overview to a conversation in AI mode is completely seamless.” Pichai said.

AI is driving more Google Search usage. Executives repeatedly framed AI-driven search as additive — increasing overall usage rather than replacing traditional queries.

• “Search saw more usage in Q4 than ever before, as AI continues to drive an expansionary moment,” Pichai said.

Once users engage with AI-powered features, Google says engagement increases.

• “Once people start using these new experiences, they use them more,” Pichai said.

Changing search behavior. Google shared several new data points illustrating how AI Mode is altering search behavior — to be longer, conversational, and multimodal.

• “Queries in AI mode are three times longer than traditional searches,” Pichai said.

Sessions are also becoming more conversational.

• “We are also seeing sessions become more conversational, with a significant portion of queries in AI Mode, now leading to a follow-up question,” he said.

AI Mode is also expanding beyond text.

• “Nearly one in six AI mode queries are now non-text using voice or images,” Pichai said.

Google highlighted continued distribution of visual search capabilities, noting that:

• “Circle to Search is now available on over 580 million Android devices,” Pichai said.

Gemini isn’t cannibalizing Search. As the Gemini app continues to grow, Google said it has not seen evidence that users are abandoning Search.

• “We haven’t seen any evidence of cannibalization,” Pichai said.

Instead, Google described users moving fluidly between Search, AI Overviews, AI Mode, and the Gemini app.

• “The combination of all of that, I think, creates an expansionary moment,” Pichai said.

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