Google says Gen Z has become the most active generation on Search, with signed-in users globally between the ages of 18 and 24 now issuing more daily queries than any other age group, according to Google internal data. The company added that the platform sees over five trillion searches annually, with Gen Z driving that growth.
Google attributes the shift in part to AI-powered features, including AI Mode and Search Live, which allow users to search across text, voice, and visual formats. The company says Search is powered by Gemini 3.1, its multimodal reasoning model, and can engage in back-and-forth conversation to address complex and nuanced queries.
According to Google, the trend is particularly strong in Southeast Asia, which has one of the youngest, most AI-native populations in the world. In Singapore specifically, 78% of social media users use Google Search to inform and evaluate discoveries made on social media, according to an Ipsos study commissioned by Google in December 2025.
Google says that for many Gen Z users, social media is where trends are discovered, but Search is where they fact-check and evaluate them — using Google reviews on Maps, brand histories, user feedback, and price comparisons before making purchasing decisions.
“AI is the best thing that has happened to Search. Today, it can do much more than just provide information. AI is making Search more intelligent so it can converse interactively across formats and provide answers to people’s complex and nuanced questions,” said Sapna Chadha, Vice President at Google Southeast Asia and South Asia Frontier.
“In Southeast Asia — home to one of the world’s youngest, most AI-native populations — we are seeing this shift play out in real-time. For this generation, Search has become a constant companion. They are engaging more deeply, visually, and through voice than any group before them. Whether it’s for learning, exploring a personal passion or making a high-stakes purchase, they rely on Search to make decisions they can trust.”
Google also points to what it calls Easter Eggs — hidden interactive moments within Search built around cultural touchpoints such as Taylor Swift, BTS, and BINI, the Philippine group that performed at Coachella. The company says these features, along with Google Trends, are designed to connect Gen Z users with shared cultural interests in real time.
In Singapore, searches for ‘BTS Comeback Live’ and ‘BTS Hooligan Dance’ saw a breakout of more than 5,000% over the past three months, according to Google. The company also ran an interactive scavenger hunt quiz tied to the release of BTS’s Arirang album in March 2026, which it says gave fans a way to engage with the platform and connect with other fans online.
Singapore content creator Daniel Ang cited AI Overview as a feature he uses frequently.
“A feature I use most often now is AI Overview. For example, I used it to plan my recent trip to Korea. Instead of manually comparing all the combinations, it lays out the pros and the cons based on my budget and it saves me so much time. I also click through the embedded links if I want to find out more,” said Ang.
