Google is expanding its use of Gemini across Search with the introduction of Gemini 3.8 Live, which is now being used to power the company’s Search Live experience in the Google app.
The update is designed to make searching feel more like a natural conversation. Instead of typing a query, users can speak to Google, listen to an AI-generated response, and continue asking follow-up questions without starting a completely new search.
Google also introduced Gemini 3.8 Live Extended Thinking alongside the new model.
Search is becoming more conversational
Search Live allows users to interact with Google using their voice.
After opening the Google app and selecting the Live option, users can ask a question verbally. Gemini 3.8 Live then provides an audio response, allowing the conversation to continue with additional questions.
For example, a user could ask:
“What are the best ways to improve my website’s visibility?”
They could then follow up with:
“Which one should I focus on first?”
Rather than requiring the user to formulate a new search query each time, Search Live is designed to support this kind of back-and-forth interaction.
Web links are still part of the experience
Although Search Live focuses on voice conversations, users are not limited to listening to an AI response.
Google can display relevant web links on the screen while the conversation is taking place. This gives users an opportunity to move from an AI-generated explanation to the underlying webpages for additional information.
This is an important part of the experience for websites and publishers because conversational search does not necessarily remove the role of web content. Instead, the way users discover and interact with that content may continue to change.
Users can switch between voice and text
Search Live also includes a transcript option for users who want to review the conversation in written form.
After a voice conversation, users can open the transcript to read the text version and continue the discussion by typing. Previous Search Live conversations can also be revisited through AI Mode history.
This creates a more flexible search experience where users can move between speaking, listening and typing depending on what they need.
Multilingual conversations are also supported
Google says Gemini 3.8 Live brings more natural multilingual interaction to Search Live.
Users can switch languages during a conversation, making it possible to communicate without necessarily staying in a single language throughout the entire interaction. Google also highlights more natural and free-flowing conversations as part of the update.
What does this mean for SEO?
The rollout is another example of how Google’s search experience is increasingly incorporating Gemini.
Gemini is already being used across several Google Search experiences, including AI Overviews and AI Mode, and Search Live now adds another conversational layer to that ecosystem.
For SEO professionals, this reinforces the importance of thinking beyond traditional blue-link rankings.
Search behavior is becoming more conversational, which means users may ask longer questions, ask follow-up questions and expect answers that understand the context of the previous interaction.
That does not mean traditional SEO has disappeared. Websites still need useful, accurate and accessible content. However, the growing role of AI in search means businesses also need to consider how clearly their information can be understood and surfaced within new search experiences.
The search experience will continue to evolve
Google’s latest update shows that Gemini is becoming increasingly integrated into different parts of Search.
As these models develop, the way users discover information—and the way websites receive visibility—may continue to change. Google itself notes that search results and experiences can change as its models improve.
For marketers and SEO teams, the practical takeaway is straightforward: keep creating clear, useful and trustworthy content while paying attention to how people are changing the way they search.
Search Live is another step toward a search experience where finding information can feel less like entering individual queries and more like having an ongoing conversation with Google.
