Starting this week, users will be able to interact with and complete tasks across apps like Instacart, Canva, and YouTube Music right from AI Mode in Search, Google says. The move is part of Google’s broader Search AI overhaul, as the company rapidly transforms its search box into a universal AI assistant that does everything for users, from shopping to travel planning to answering questions directly.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude already support third-party app integrations.
How would app integrations work in Google’s AI Mode? Let’s start with YouTube Music. Google says users will be able to use AI Mode to curate a playlist based on a prompt. Users can pick a particular genre or mood; AI will drop the suggested playlist in the chat interface, which they can then open in the app. It’s unclear, however, if a user can buy a YouTube Music subscription from within AI Mode.
In another example, Google said users can use AI Mode to create a grocery list, connect an Instacart account to add the ingredients directly to their shopping cart and checkout on the Instacart app or website.
If a user is working on a project and needs design ideas, let’s say a flyer for an upcoming party, they can ask the AI to show a selection of templates on Canva. The update is initially rolling out in the US. Google said it is talking with other partners to launch support for more apps soon.
How does this align with Google’s broader strategy for AI Mode? Gemini already supports integrations with first- and third-party apps, allowing users to ask AI to complete tasks and interact with WhatsApp, Canva, OpenTable, Spark, Instacart, Spotify, and Booking.com, among others, though some privacy concerns remain unanswered.
Google has been regularly updating AI Mode with more features since its launch in early 2025. Most recently, the company said its agentic capabilities in AI Mode can help users check whether an item is in stock at a nearby store, and also track prices for individual hotels directly in Search.
In April 2026, Google also introduced web side-by-side with AI Mode, allowing users to compare details and ask follow-up questions.
How is it different from OpenAI’s shopping plan? Last September, OpenAI launched an Instant Checkout feature, which allowed users to buy select items from retailers like Etsy, Walmart and Shopify directly within ChatGPT. While the company initially billed it as the “next step” in agentic commerce, it later pulled back. Why?
- Only a small number of merchants were selling through Instant Checkout.
- Users were researching products inside ChatGPT but not using it to make purchases.
Nikhil Pahwa, founder and editor of MediaNama, writes in-depth about why OpenAI’s shopping plan failed here.
While Google is not trying to embed checkout within AI Mode, several concerns remain:
1. Who is liable when AI makes an error? Google says checkout would finish at the third-party app or website. However, grocery items would be added to the user’s cart using AI assistants. What if there’s a hallucination? What if AI misinterprets the quantity required or adds wrong items to the cart? If a user does not review the order before checkout, they may end up paying for things they actually did not want. Should liability rest with Google, the third-party app, or the user when Google’s AI assistants make an error?
2. The control challenge: In The Opportunity Trap of the ChatGPT App Store, Pahwa writes, “When apps in ChatGPT exist to serve tasks, the real question is: who decides which app appears, and when?“
This also applies to apps plugged into Google’s AI Mode. When will it recommend a Blinkit over Instacart for grocery purchases? The control over the app inside AI Mode lies with Google, unless a user specifically asks for a different app in the chat.
“LLMs also carry embedded bias (hello anti-trust) and will eventually need to demonstrate neutrality,” Pahwa writes.
3. Privacy concerns: Google’s privacy policy states that it collects information including terms you search for, videos you watch, media (like images, files, audio and video) from your interactions, purchase activity, people with whom you communicate or share content, activity on third‑party sites and apps that use its services, and Chrome browsing history you’ve synced with your account.
When you use AI Mode, Google can retain details of those interactions. Its Search Services History documentation says your history can include generative AI responses in AI Mode and data from apps you connect to Search services; you can turn this history off or delete past activity at any time.
For Connected Apps (including those used with Gemini), Google’s Privacy Hub states that data shared between Gemini and Connected Apps can include information from your chats, device and preferences (like language), location, and content from the connected apps themselves (such as emails, files, events, photos, and videos).
However, once that data is shared, Google notes that third‑party apps use it consistent with their own privacy policies and terms, and that deleting data in Google does not delete what those apps have already received. In addition, for custom third‑party integrations added via Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, Google explicitly warns that it does not control, monitor, or secure those servers—so users should trust the third party and understand the supported actions before connecting.
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