Google just transformed search from answering questions to taking action. The company's AI Mode now books restaurant reservations autonomously and expanded to over 180 countries today, marking the biggest leap toward agentic AI in mainstream consumer products. This isn't just search evolution—it's Google positioning itself as your digital assistant that actually gets things done.
Google just crossed the Rubicon from search engine to digital agent. The company's AI Mode, previously limited to answering complex questions, now actively books restaurant reservations and handles multi-step tasks autonomously—a fundamental shift that puts Google squarely in competition with emerging agentic AI platforms.
"AI is making Google Search radically more helpful, so you can ask any question on your mind and get things done," Google VP of Product Robby Stein announced this morning. The timing couldn't be more strategic, arriving just as competitors like Perplexity and ChatGPT race to add similar capabilities.
The new agentic features represent Google's most aggressive move yet into autonomous task execution. Users can now request dinner reservations with multiple constraints—party size, cuisine preferences, location, timing—and AI Mode will scour platforms like OpenTable, Resy, and Tock in real-time. The system presents curated options with available slots and direct booking links, essentially functioning as a personal concierge.
Under the hood, Google's leveraging its Project Mariner web browsing capabilities, direct partner integrations, and the Knowledge Graph to create what amounts to a task-completion engine. "AI Mode does the legwork and links you directly to the booking page, so you can easily take the last step and finalize your reservation," Stein explained, highlighting Google's approach of maintaining human control over final transactions.
The expansion couldn't come at a better time for Google's AI ambitions. While the company has faced criticism for being reactive rather than innovative in AI, today's rollout to over 180 countries positions Google ahead of regional competitors who lack similar infrastructure. The global expansion in English creates immediate scale advantages that pure-play AI companies struggle to match.
