Google—which created a search text field decades ago that’s been the front door to the internet ever since—is now defining how people interact with AI-infused services. The stakes are high for Alphabet, which derives nearly 56% of its revenue from Google Search.  “I met with my team and just said, ‘I want this team to set the standard for what it looks like to do design in the AI world,’ ” says Jenny Blackburn, vice president of user experience for Gemini.    {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2026\/09\/2026-IBD_social-share-2-16x9-1.jpg","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2026\/09\/2026-IBD_social-share-1-1-1x1-1.jpg","eyebrow":"","headline":"Meet the world\u0027s most innovative design companies","dek":"","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"See the List","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/innovation-by-design\/list?utm_source=fcwebsite\u0026utm_medium=promo_block\u0026utm_campaign=IBD26","theme":{"bg":"#f4f4f4","text":"#2b2d30","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#444444","buttonHoverBg":"#ef5b24","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91604521,"imageMobileId":91604520,"shareable":false,"slug":"","wpCssClasses":""}} In the increasingly competitive AI space, Google is betting that user experiences and interfaces will be as important as what the tools can do. The belief informed the latest version of Gemini, which breaks from the text-only chatbox legacy of tools like ChatGPT and instead responds to queries in whatever format is most contextually appropriate. Team Google, from left: Jenny Blackburn, David Cronin, Bridget Finn, Rhiannon Bell, Andy Stewart, and Paolo Malabuyo [Photo: Jessica Chou] A new version of Maps, for example, provides what Google calls “immersive navigation,” an AI-fueled 3D map that shifts its perspective depending on speed and road position to bet

← Back to Designed News