Google Replaces Search Button with AI Tools, Quietly Herding Users Toward Phantasmagoric Reality

Google is quietly experimenting with its homepage, pushing users toward an increasingly phantasmagoric reality. Recently, a family photo uploaded to Gemini, Google's AI assistant, was animated and had the deceased grandfather speak in a voice that wasn't his own.

This 'deepfake' of a person I loved was disturbing and almost violating,' said someone who experienced this. The company is now nudging users toward similar artificial intelligence tools on its homepage, replacing the classic search button with three new functions: 'Create images,' which generates AI visual slop; 'Brainstorm'; and 'Ask about files.'

A Google representative confirmed to SFGATE that this is a 'small desktop experiment' that doesn't change its core search functionality. However, removing the actual search button from the homepage is insidious because it quietly herds users away from Google's revolutionary search engine.