After 25 years, Google's iconic Search button is disappearing for some users — and this is the replacement

Google's iconic Search button is disappearing for some users in a test that replaces it with AI-focused shortcuts. The experimental layout features tools like AI Mode, which allows users to ask longer questions and continue the conversation with follow-ups, as well as options to search for files, create images, and brainstorm ideas.

Google Search VP Robby Stein stated that this is a small test on desktop to help people find new things they can do with Search, and there is still no impact on the core search box. While the removal of the traditional search button is currently just a test, the direction Google is taking with Search is fundamentally different from what users have come to expect.

With AI Mode and other AI-focused tools taking center stage, Google is actively steering users away from traditional search results and toward AI-generated responses. This shift could have significant consequences for websites that rely on Google traffic, as the more Google answers questions within its own interface, the less reason there is for users to click through to other sites.