Google just dropped its annual Year in Search film, capturing everything from AI farming breakthroughs to K-pop trends that defined 2025. The film showcases how the world searched through a year that "reimagined the future and were inspired by the past," weaving together cultural moments, sports triumphs, and technological milestones that dominated search queries.
Google is making its annual data dump feel cinematic again. The company's Year in Search 2025 film went live today, turning the year's search trends into a narrative about how we collectively processed everything from AI farming innovations to whatever "KPop Demon Hunters" turned out to be.
The film represents Google's most comprehensive look at what captivated global attention this year, mining search data to create a cultural time capsule. Unlike previous years that focused heavily on news events, 2025's version balances breakthrough technology with pop culture moments that might seem trivial but clearly resonated with millions of users.
At the tech end of the spectrum, the film highlights "first-of-their-kind AI breakthroughs in farming and healthcare" - a nod to how artificial intelligence moved beyond chatbots into practical applications that actually matter. These developments align with Google's own AI investments, though the company's keeping specific details close to the vest in typical Google fashion.
The cultural side tells a different story entirely. Labubus - apparently a character or trend significant enough to drive massive search volume - sits alongside India's Women's Cricket World Cup victory, creating an odd but authentic snapshot of how diverse global interests really are. The "KPop Demon Hunters" reference suggests 2025 was another banner year for Korean cultural exports, even if the specific phenomenon remains mysterious to anyone not deeply embedded in those communities.
What's particularly interesting is Google's decision to weave in community resilience stories around the LA fires and Texas floods. These events generated enormous search volume as people looked for real-time information, evacuation routes, and ways to help. By including them alongside entertainment trends, Google's acknowledging that search data captures both our escapism and our crisis responses.
The timing of this release coincides with Google's broader push to position itself as more than just a search company. As OpenAI and others challenge Google's information dominance, these cultural moment compilations serve as subtle reminders of just how central Google remains to how we process and understand our world.
For Google's business, Year in Search films function as both marketing and market research. They demonstrate the company's unparalleled view into global consciousness while showcasing the kind of insights that keep advertisers spending billions on Google's platforms. The 2025 version seems designed to hit that sweet spot between feel-good content and subtle flex about data capabilities.
