Google is pushing more agentic AI directly into Search. The company is rolling out a feature that can call local businesses for users in the United States, while also expanding AI Mode with Gemini 2.5 Pro and a new Deep Search option for paying subscribers.
The updates show how Google is turning Search from a place to look up links into a place where AI can complete parts of a task. In this case, that task may be checking a business’s pricing or availability without the user making the call personally.
How Google’s AI business calling works
The new business-calling feature is designed for local searches where a user needs practical information from nearby companies. Google says the AI can contact businesses on the user’s behalf to ask about availability and pricing.
A typical starting point is a query such as “pet groomers near me.” In the search results, users may see an option labeled “Have AI check pricing.” After selecting it, they answer a few questions so the AI knows what information to request.
For a pet grooming search, the questions can include what kind of pet the user has, which services are needed, and when the service is required. Google then uses that information to gather appointment and service details from different local businesses.
The feature began testing in January through Search Labs, where users had to opt in to try experimental Search tools. It is now starting to roll out to all Search users in the United States. Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers will get higher limits.
Why disclosure matters
The calling feature is not Google’s first attempt to use AI for phone-based interactions with businesses. A similar earlier feature drew backlash because it simulated human speech, raising concerns that businesses might believe they were speaking with a person.
Google later said its AI would identify itself as a robot when placing those calls. For the new business-calling feature, a Google spokesperson told TechCrunch in an email that every call begins by stating that it is an automated system from Google calling on behalf of a user.
That disclosure is central to how the feature is likely to be received. The value for users is clear: they can avoid calling several businesses just to compare basic information. But businesses still need to understand who, or what, is on the line before the conversation continues.
The feature also highlights a broader shift in Search. Instead of simply showing a list of local businesses, Google is trying to help users move further into the task itself. The search result becomes the beginning of a workflow, not just a pointer to other places online.
Gemini 2.5 Pro comes to AI Mode
Google is also upgrading AI Mode, the Search experience built for complex and multi-part questions. Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers will be able to use Gemini 2.5 Pro inside AI Mode.
Google says Gemini 2.5 Pro is strong at advanced reasoning, math, and coding questions. Subscribers will be able to choose the 2.5 Pro model from a drop-down menu in AI Mode.
This matters because AI Mode is meant for queries that are harder to handle with a simple search box. A user might want to compare options, reason through trade-offs, or ask a question that has several parts. Bringing Gemini 2.5 Pro into that environment gives subscribers access to a more capable model for those harder prompts.
Google has been adding features to AI Mode since its launch earlier this year. Last month, it rolled out the ability to have a back-and-forth voice conversation with AI Mode. In May, it introduced a shopping experience that can show product visuals and other AI-powered guidance using product data.
Deep Search targets research-heavy questions
The other major addition is Deep Search, a feature inside AI Mode that Google says can conduct hundreds of searches and reason across different pieces of information. The result is a comprehensive, fully cited report produced in minutes.
Google describes Deep Search as useful for in-depth research connected to jobs, hobbies, or studies. The company also says it can help in situations involving major life decisions, including buying a new house or getting help with financial analysis.
That framing puts Deep Search in a different category from the business-calling feature. One is about collecting direct, local information from businesses. The other is about assembling and organizing information across many searches.
Together, the two features show how Google is widening the role of AI in Search. One update helps users outsource a small but time-consuming phone task. The other gives subscribers a more research-oriented tool for questions that require synthesis, citations, and multiple rounds of searching.
Search is becoming more task-oriented
Google’s latest updates arrive as AI search becomes more competitive. The company is continuing to build out AI Mode as it takes on services such as Perplexity AI and OpenAI’s ChatGPT Search.
The common thread is that Search is becoming more active. Users are not only asking for webpages; they are asking for completed steps, organized reports, shopping guidance, voice conversations, and now calls to local businesses.
For everyday users in the United States, the most visible change may be the new option to let AI check pricing from nearby companies. For subscribers, the larger shift is inside AI Mode, where Gemini 2.5 Pro and Deep Search are aimed at more demanding questions.
The direction is clear from the features Google is choosing to prioritize: AI in Search is moving beyond answers and toward assistance. The open question is how users, businesses, and subscribers respond as those tools become part of ordinary search behavior.