Google now presents AI Mode, AI Overviews, and traditional search as a single unified product, the group stated during its Q3 2026 earnings call. During this exchange, management also discussed the development of ‘agentic’ search and rapid improvement of its models.
- Google presents AI Mode, AI Overviews, and traditional search as one product.
- Search ad revenue rose 12%, below the 15% expected, and the stock fell.
- Google admits it is early in agentic search, while Gemini reached one billion users.
- Gemini 4 Carbon is undergoing testing, and Genie 4 aims to train robots and agents.
The published figures show sustained growth. Alphabet’s revenue grew 25% year-over-year and Cloud revenue grew 103%. Search advertising revenue increased 12% year-over-year, while Wall Street expected 15%, and the stock price fell after the release. According to the analysis author, this concern stems from the growing role of AI Mode, which currently offers fewer ad placements.
Philipp Schindler, who handles advertising at Google, defended a gradual strategy: ‘Our approach is deliberate: we prioritize user experience and engagement first, then we develop the formats.’ The previous week, Google had announced the expansion of ads in AI Mode to more countries, including Australia and Canada. ‘TPU Systems’ were also mentioned 35 times during the call. Thomas Kurian explained that a TPU System ‘is not just a chip,’ but a system combining hardware, compute, storage, and networking, and that Google sells ‘much more than a chip,’ with software, training, and inference.
A Unified Search
The merger of the two worlds was mentioned several times. Sundar Pichai stated: ‘We are building a seamless, single experience, spanning AI Overviews, AI Mode, and traditional search.’ Philipp Schindler added that the group views search ‘holistically, as a unified product covering traditional results and AI-powered search.’
Towards Agentic Search
According to the author, Google has fallen behind on agentic products, which it cites alongside X’s Grokbot, OpenAI’s Dots, and Meta’s Muse. It recalls that Demis Hassabis mentioned in May 2025 the project of a ‘Universal AI Assistant.’ On July 13, the company announced the Connected Apps Platform, which allows apps to be used via the MCP protocol from Gemini or from search. Google cites the example of the Peloton app, called by the mention ‘@Peloton’ in an agentic journey. Philipp Schindler specified that the group began by integrating these experiences into Gemini Enterprise, before extending them to search: ‘We are in the early stages of agentic experiences on our surfaces.’
Gemini now has one billion users, according to Sundar Pichai, who presents it as the ‘fastest-growing product in Google’s history.’ The same figure had been reported by ChatGPT in June 2026.
Gemini 4 Carbon and Genie 4
Google announced a new flagship model last week, Gemini 4 Carbon, two weeks after Gemini 4 Argon. According to the source, it is currently undergoing voluntary testing, in line with U.S. government recommendations, ahead of an upcoming release. Sundar Pichai judged that ‘Carbon represents a significant advance over Argon.’
The group also introduced Genie 4, its latest world model, which, according to Sundar Pichai, ‘simulates safe, realistic, and interactive worlds, with native real-time sound.’ It is intended for training robots and agents. The executive expects a ‘continued acceleration’ over the next twelve months thanks to RSI, i.e., recursive self-improvement, a process in which AI is used to improve AI.
