Google is running an A/B test on its homepage that replaces the Search button with three AI shortcuts — Create images, Ask about files, and Brainstorm — for a small group of signed-out users. Two of the shortcuts (Ask about files and Brainstorm) work without an account, while Create images requires a sign-in. The test was spotted across Chrome, Edge, and Perplexity's Comet browser, but could not be reproduced by all reporters. Google has not confirmed the test's scope or whether it will ship. The change is notable because Google's homepage has remained largely unchanged for over two decades, and the shift reflects broader pressure on traditional search from AI-powered alternatives.
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The button that asks for a loginNobody can say how wide this goesWhy the signed-out visitor is the one being testedWhat a test does not proveQuestions this post answers
What AI shortcuts is Google testing on its homepage instead of the Search button?
Google is testing three AI shortcuts in place of the Search button for a small group of signed-out users: Create images, Ask about files, and Brainstorm. Ask about files and Brainstorm work without an account — the former accepts document uploads and answers questions, the latter opens a Gemini conversation. Create images requires a sign-in, likely due to the higher compute cost of image generation. Developers and product folks watching the AI search shift track experiments like this on daily.dev.