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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Google’s AI mode uses agents to help you book event tickets.
- The agents can also find wellness spas and restaurant tables.
- The skill is available through Search Labs to all Google users.
Finding tickets to your favorite events can be challenging, especially with prices at many venues so sky-high. Why not get a helping hand from AI? For that, you can turn to the latest agentic powers brought to you by Google’s AI mode.
On Tuesday, Google Search VP Robby Stein announced two new skills available through AI mode’s agents. Specifically, you can now ask for assistance booking event tickets and beauty and wellness appointments. Available through Google’s Search Labs, this help is accessible to all Google users, both free and paid. However, those with AI Pro and AI Ultra subscriptions will enjoy higher limits.
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The two new skills are just the latest ones on tap through Google’s AI mode. In August, the company spruced up its AI-powered search with agents designed to find and help you book restaurant reservations. The idea is to provide a smarter search engine that can carry out tasks on your behalf rather than you tackling each step yourself.
How it works
Head to the Search Labs page for “Agentic capabilities in AI Mode.” Make sure you’re signed in with your Google account and then click the Try it out button.
At the prompt, type your request for event seats, a restaurant table, or an appointment at a beauty or wellness spa. In your description, you’ll want to specify the venue or city, the date or dates you’d like to book, and any other relevant details.
“For example,” as Google said on the page, “you can now ask ‘find me a dinner reservation for 3 people this Friday after 6pm around Logan square, craving ramen or bibimbap’ or ‘find me 2 cheap tickets for the Shaboozey concert coming up, prefer standing floor tickets.'”
On my end, I asked it to find two tickets for a game at Yankee Stadium between the Yankees and the Red Sox for any Saturday or Sunday afternoon in June, July, or August of 2026. In response, the AI found two possible dates and then offered to browse current availability and recommend top options for me.
After I told it to start the task, Google kicked off 16 different searches looking at a variety of different ticket providers. In the end, the search found cheap, premium, and value seats for both of the games across a range of providers. I chose a “Best Deal” option for lower-level seating, taking me to a StubHub page where I could directly purchase the tickets.
The process is the same for restaurant reservations or wellness and beauty appointments.
I asked the AI to find a table for four people at an Italian restaurant in the theater district in Manhattan for this coming Saturday afternoon. Here, the results found several possible places with links to book a table via OpenTable through Google.
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Next, I asked it to find an appointment at a wellness spa in Greenwich Village for this coming Sunday. For this one, Google came up with several suitable spots, allowing me to directly book one of my choice.
“AI Mode will search across multiple websites to find real-time availability for reservation or ticket options that meet your specific needs and then present you with a curated list with available time slots or ticket prices to choose from,” Google said on its page. “AI Mode does the legwork and links you directly to the booking page, so you can easily take the last step and finalize your reservation.”
