Google I/O 2026: Search Agents Can Now Build Custom Tools and Book Services on the Fly
What happened
At Google I/O on 19 May, Google announced the biggest overhaul to Search in years. The search box now hands queries directly to AI agents that can reason across multiple sources, generate custom interfaces, and take action on a user's behalf.
Three changes matter most for local businesses:
1. Information agents. Users can now create persistent AI agents in Search that monitor topics in the background and surface results when they're relevant. A homeowner planning a renovation could set up an agent that tracks local builder availability and pricing over weeks.
2. Generative UI. Using technology Google calls "Antigravity," Search can now dynamically build mini-apps, dashboards, and comparison tools tailored to a user's specific question — entirely on the fly. A search for "best plumber near me for a boiler replacement" could generate a live comparison card with ratings, pricing, and availability rather than a list of blue links.
3. Agentic booking. For categories including home repair, Google can now gather pricing and availability from multiple businesses and present them side by side. In the US, the AI can even call businesses directly to get this information.
What this means for tradespeople
The era of "10 blue links" is ending. Google is moving toward a model where AI does the research, comparison, and even the initial contact — then presents the customer with a shortlist.
For tradespeople, this means the signals Google uses to build that shortlist matter more than ever. Those signals are your Google Business Profile completeness, your review count and recency, your response rate to reviews, and your profile activity (posts, photos, Q&A).
If your profile is thin, your reviews are stale, or you haven't posted in months — you won't make the AI's shortlist. It's that simple.
What to do about it
- Make sure your Google Business Profile is 100% complete — every field filled, services listed, areas covered
- Post to your profile regularly — Google now offers native post scheduling so you can batch a month of posts in 30 minutes
- Keep reviews flowing. Fresh reviews are the strongest signal for local AI recommendations
- Respond to every review — the AI sees your engagement rate
Source: Google Blog — Google Search's I/O 2026 updates: AI agents and more