AI Is Changing How We Use the Web; Here’s What Happened in February

As we move through 2026, technical advancements across the digital world continue to accelerate. We’ve watched AI evolve into a valuable tool for marketers, developers and businesses alike, and February brought several key developments that show just how quickly AI is reshaping the way we navigate the web. 

WebMCP & EPP

Traditionally, people have browsed the internet themselves clicking through pages to find products, make bookings, and complete purchases. However, new technology being trialled by Google could allow AI assistants, such as Alexa, to carry out these tasks on a user’s behalf.

Two new systems, WebMCP and the Enhanced Permission Protocol (EPP), are designed to help AI recognise interactive elements on websites, such as checkout buttons or booking calendars, and securely complete actions when authorised by the user.

In practice, this means AI agents could navigate a website, select products, and even complete transactions using stored payment details (such as Google Pay) with the user’s approval. As a result, websites are beginning to function more like services that AI can interact with directly, rather than just pages designed for human browsing. This shift also makes clear, accessible website structure more important than ever, as features such as ARIA labels and semantic HTML help AI understand how a page works.

Although this technology is still in its early stages and likely to evolve, it signals a move towards a web where AI can perform tasks for users rather than simply helping them search for information. 

Google Launches Gemini 3 Auto-Browse In Chrome

Gemini now has a feature called Auto-Browse. Rather than simply displaying web pages for users to read, Chrome can now actively assist by analysing content before you even begin scrolling. 

Powered by the Gemini 3 Flash model, the browser can summarise long articles, extract key information, compare products across multiple tabs and even help pre-fill forms based on what it believes you are trying to do. In essence, the browser is starting to behave less like a passive window to the web and more like a digital assistant that helps complete tasks.  

The Real Risk of AI-Generated Content

As more brands rush to fill their websites with AI-generated copy to appear in AI Overviews, there’s a growing risk that many are simply running on the spot. While large language models (LLMs) are excellent at producing quick, concise content, they can also lead to something known as content homogenisation, where every brand begins to sound the same. The bigger concern, however, is accuracy. AI systems can occasionally “hallucinate” information, meaning they may generate incorrect facts, outdated details or even products that do not exist. If this information ends up on your website and is later surfaced or cited by Google, the responsibility does not sit with the AI that created it but with the brand that published it. 

For businesses, this highlights an important shift in how AI should be used. Generating large volumes of content quickly might seem efficient, but the real goal should be creating user-focused content that can stand up to the scrutiny of AI-driven search experiences. Content needs to offer clear accuracy and real value to readers. While AI can certainly support content creation, it should not replace human input entirely. Real-world experience, insight and brand voice are things that AI cannot truly replicate, and these are exactly the qualities that help content remain trustworthy and competitive as search continues to evolve. 

February Discover Core Update

Google rolled out the February 2026 Discover Core Update on 9 February, and it wrapped up unusually quickly. Unlike traditional core updates that impact general search rankings, this update focused specifically on Google Discover, the personalised mobile feed that surfaces articles and content based on a user’s interests. The update targeted the more predictive side of search, with Google’s refined algorithms placing greater importance on strong visuals, topical relevance and fresh content. Early reports suggest that websites relying on clickbait headlines or recycled AI-generated imagery experienced noticeable drops in visibility, as Google continues to redefine what high-quality content looks like for a mobile-first, scroll-heavy audience. 

For businesses and content creators, the takeaway is clear. People are still searching and engaging with Google’s ecosystem, and despite the rise of large language models, the shift towards AI-driven answers is happening more gradually than some expected. However, the rules of visibility are evolving. Appearing within AI Overviews will likely become increasingly important for maintaining visibility as search behaviour changes. To keep up, brands should focus on producing clear, concise content that directly answers user queries. Well-structured FAQs, accurate product information and genuinely helpful content will play a key role in ensuring websites remain visible as SEO moves further into what many are calling the AI Overviews era. 

Google Resolves SERP Serving Issues

While much of the industry has been focused on the rise of agentic search, a recent issue affecting Google search results turned out to be something far less. Google described the issue as a mechanical problem within its search delivery pipeline, which temporarily affected how some SERPs were displayed. As a result, certain users were shown stale results or experienced disappearing snippets, something that can easily be mistaken for a sudden drop in rankings. 

Google moved quickly to resolve the issue, but it highlights just how complex modern search infrastructure has become. Maintaining a real-time search engine while simultaneously introducing AI-driven features such as Google AI Overviews and new technologies like Web Media Control Protocol (WebMCP) inevitably creates challenges along the way. 

For businesses and marketers, the key takeaway is that not every fluctuation in visibility signals a major algorithm update. In a landscape where changes happen constantly, it’s increasingly important to distinguish between a genuine update and a temporary technical glitch. We even noticed some of these hiccups appearing in our own tracking tools, confirming that the impacts we isolated were simply bugs within Google’s systems rather than long-term ranking changes. As Google continues to evolve its AI-powered search ecosystem, occasional errors are likely to happen. If you ever notice unusual changes and aren’t sure whether they’re something to worry about, speaking to an SEO specialist can help identify the real cause and avoid unnecessary panic. 

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