The Year of the "Thinking" Search: Why Gemini Was Google’s Top Trend of 2025
If 2023 was the year AI arrived, and 2024 was the year we learned to use it, 2025 was the year we couldn't live without it.
Google has released its annual Year in Search data, and the verdict is definitive: Gemini was the #1 trending search term globally. It beat out massive cultural heavyweights like the Cricket World Cup, breaking news events, and viral entertainment to take the top spot.
This isn't just a win for Google's branding team; it signals a fundamental shift in how human beings interact with the internet. We are moving from "searching for links" to "collaborating with intelligence."
1. The Launch of Gemini 3 and "AI Mode"
The biggest driver of traffic wasn't just curiosity—it was utility. In early 2025, Google rolled out Gemini 3, its most intelligent model to date, and integrated it directly into the core Search experience via "AI Mode."
Suddenly, users weren't just typing keywords; they were having conversations. The spike in searches for "Gemini" was often users looking for:
"How to use Gemini AI Mode"
"Gemini 3 vs GPT-5 features"
"Gemini advanced reasoning prompts"
This integration turned the search bar into a two-way street, driving massive, sustained interest throughout the year.
2. The "Nano Banana" Phenomenon
Every year has a weird, viral trend, and for 2025, it was Nano Banana.
While it sounds like a smoothie recipe, "Nano Banana" was the codename for Google’s Gemini 2.5 Flash Image Model. The model became an overnight sensation due to its ability to generate hyper-realistic, yet stylized 3D images.
Social media feeds were flooded with the "Gemini saree trend" and "3D model trend," all powered by this specific tool. Users flooded Google with searches for "Nano Banana prompts" to recreate the viral art styles they saw on TikTok and Instagram. It was a perfect storm of technical capability meeting meme culture.
3. The Global vs. US Divide
While Gemini reigned supreme globally, the data highlights an interesting split in interests:
| Global Top Trends | US Top Trends |
| 1. Gemini | 1. Charlie Kirk (News/Events) |
| 2. India vs England (Cricket) | 2. KPop Demon Hunters (Entertainment) |
| 3. Club World Cup | 3. Labubu (Viral Toy) |
| 4. DeepSeek (AI Tool) | 4. iPhone 17 |
| 5. Asia Cup | 5. One Big Beautiful Bill Act |
Key Takeaway: The US was heavily focused on domestic news and entertainment (specifically the K-Pop horror hit KPop Demon Hunters), while the global audience—driven largely by India, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia—was fixated on Technology (AI) and Cricket.
4. The Rise of the "AI Ecosystem"
Gemini wasn't the only AI term on the list. DeepSeek, a Chinese AI model, cracked the global top 10 (#6).
This proves that users are no longer loyal to a single platform; they are shopping around. They are comparing models, testing reasoning capabilities, and searching for the best tool for the job. The search volume suggests that "AI Literacy" skyrocketed in 2025. People aren't just asking "What is AI?" anymore; they are asking "Which AI is best for coding?" or "DeepSeek vs Gemini for math."
5. What This Means for 2026
The dominance of Gemini in the 2025 Year in Search is a signal that AI has become the operating system of the web.
For decades, "Google" was a verb that meant "to find." In 2025, that definition expanded. To "Google" something now means to generate, to reason, to plan, and to visualize. As we look toward 2026, we can expect the line between "Search Engine" and "AI Assistant" to erase completely.
The most searched term of the year wasn't a person, a tragedy, or a game. It was a tool. And that tool is changing everything.
