The first quarter of 2026 has been historic for Google. According to Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, search queries reached an all-time record. The executive attributes this milestone to massive investments in artificial intelligence, which are already driving a 19% growth in search engine revenue. The adoption of AI-based experiences continues to grow.
The invisible engine: how AI reshapes web traffic 🔍
The growth is no coincidence. Google has integrated generative models directly into search results, offering synthesized answers before traditional links. This reduces clicks to external sites but increases time spent on the platform. Developers watch closely: organic traffic is being redefined as the company optimizes its servers to handle more complex requests in real time.
The search engine that answers before you ask 🤖
Now Google not only gives you results but guesses your question before you finish typing. If you used to search for pasta recipes, now the AI suggests the weekly menu and asks if you want to order groceries. The record in queries has a trick: even Schrödinger's cat is both alive and dead while Google decides whether to show you an answer or an ad.