As the year draws to a close, Google’s latest ‘Year in Search’ reveals what the world was collectively curious about in 2025, highlighting the mix of AI breakthroughs, political points and sporting blockbusters that dominated global conversations.
Google’s artificial intelligence chatbot Gemini topped this year’s global search charts, followed by the sports frenzy surrounding ‘India vs England’ and the assassination of US political figure Charlie Kirk.
As for the most searched personalities, d4vd, Kendrick Lamar, Jimmy Kimmel, Tyler Robinson and Pope Leo XIV. won the crown for the best global names of the year.
Artificial intelligence has taken center stage in the Google search engine
Google’s AI model, Gemini, has emerged as a major technology story. It was the most popular search globally as well as in India. Netizens showed interest in its features and applications as Google improved its AI capabilities.
The integration of Gemini AI into everyday search and the announcement of new products such as Nano Banana, a 2.5 Flash Image model of an AI application, have created curiosity among people.
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The new feature became an instant trend on social media platforms after its launch, mainly due to its ability to restore old photos, generate minifigures and edit images.
“Nano Banana was a big step in image editing, empowering casual creators to express their creativity,” Google said in a blog post.
Sports remain at the forefront
The second most searched topic on Google was — India vs England, a competitive five-match Test cricket series for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy held in England from June to August 2025.
The Test series ended in a 2–2 draw, although India won the final Test by a narrow margin. The sporting event attracted record viewership and made the rivalry a highlight of the cricket calendar.
Key news that generated worldwide interest
Charlie Kirk is the third most searched name on Google, with search trends peaking after his murder in September this year.
The American conservative activist and founder of ‘Turning Point USA’ was a prominent and controversial political figure who was publicly shot during one of his debate events at Utah Valley University. A video of his murder surfaced on the Internet and was widely covered by the media.
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Kirk’s activism has drawn both admiration and criticism. His supporters hailed him as the epitome of free speech and patriotism, while critics said he was spreading extremism and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric that deepened political divides, according to a Mint report.
His tragic death sparked a national conversation about political polarization, gun violence and free speech as people fired up social media with opposing views.
Key searches in the overview
Here are the top 10 searches on Google:
— Gemini: Google’s AI-powered chatbot recently took off globally after launching its image-generating feature, Nano Banana.
— India vs England: This year’s competitive five-match Test cricket series for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has garnered huge viewership.
— Charlie Kirk: The public killing of a prominent political figure and founder of Turning Point USA was one of the most talked about topics of the year.
— Club World Cup: The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup was hosted by the United States in June, kicking off the soccer tournament between Inter Miami and Egyptian club Al Ahly.
— India vs Australia: The cricket series between the two countries, which started this October and saw India tour Australia, has also caught the attention of sports lovers.
— Deepseek: This Chinese AI company disrupted the AI market after launching powerful open-source large language models (LLMs) such as DeepSeek-V3 and DeepSeek-R1, which were developed at a significantly lower cost than competing US models.
— Asia Cup: The T20 cricket tournament among eight Asian countries, which was held in the United Arab Emirates, is also among the most searched topics. India won the final match against Pakistan.
— Iran: The conflict between Israel and Iran has long been a major international flashpoint, and this year Iran has emerged as one of the most searched-for global topics.
— iPhone17: The launch of Apple’s latest iPhone 17 series with its newest offering, the iPhone Air, created a huge buzz among customers who rushed to get their hands on the device.
— Pakistan and India: A terrorist attack in India’s Pahalgam region in April this year also made headlines. It killed dozens of civilians and prompted India to retaliate. India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ was a trending topic on social media at the time.
