The internet age is undergoing its biggest transformation since the dawn of the web, Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai has said.
In a recent interview, Pichai said AI (artificial intelligence) was in the midst of a new era – one that would transform business processes and digital experiences as we know them.
At Google I/O 2025, the company unveiled a package of AI-powered innovations that will alter business engagement with customers, data processing and insight generation. Most notably, Google’s new AI Mode in search provides a dynamic, interactive user experience, shifting away from static link-based search results to app-like search results in real time.
For businesses, it is an opportunity as well as challenge: optimising online presence in a time when more customer interactions are being driven by AI intermediaries.
Pichai emphasised that AI is not a technology but an underlying shift, similar to electricity or mobile computing. Google’s future for AI-powered search, he said, will integrate these advanced capabilities into routine processes at a measured pace. Businesses need to change their game if they hope to remain visible and audible in a search world where AI-driven summaries and interactive graphs reign over consumer interaction.
But this transformation is not controversy-free. The News Media Alliance, a group of big publishers, has called Google’s AI Mode “theft” and opined that AI-powered search results damage traffic to original content sources. Pichai replied that Google continues to send plenty of traffic to sites in spite of shifts in the way people search. He mentioned the rise in the number of web pages over the past two years as evidence that the creation of digital content is thriving.
Beyond search, AI has significant applications in fields such as healthcare, software development and creative content. Google has been significantly focusing on AI-powered products like NotebookLM that assist in analysing documents and Flow, a fresh video-creation platform. Pichai forecasted that AI would democratise content creation to enable advanced tools to be made available for companies with little technical expertise.
Perhaps the most far-reaching component of Google’s AI strategy lies in augmented reality hardware. Google showed intelligent glasses and AI-powered wearables, suggestively pointing toward a future in which digital experiences integrate seamlessly with physical environments.
While mass adoption is still in the future, Pichai predicted that AI-powered eyewear might go mainstream within the next few years.
Business leaders should closely monitor this AI revolution. Leaders who embrace AI-powered tools and reframe their customer interaction approach will be ready to thrive in an era where human interaction with digital services is increasingly mediated by AI, according to Pichai.
As the world moves into this next technological shift, one question remains: How will businesses harness AI to stay competitive in a landscape evolving faster than ever before? If Pichai’s predictions hold true, AI isn’t just another innovation—it’s the future of everything.
Here at Engage Web, we stay on top of the latest developments in search in order to provide the best possible service for our clients. Speak to our team today to discover how we can help your business.
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