Google is testing a new AI Mode for Search, it said Wednesday. The experimental program generates an entire page of AI-powered results in response to user queries.
Unlike Google’s existing AI Overviews, which surface a single AI-generated answer at the top of a user’s search results, AI Mode is designed to handle more complex, multi-step searches—queries that might otherwise require a number of separate searches. Powered by Google’s generative AI model Gemini 2.0, the tool organizes information in a way that encourages deeper exploration and follow-up questions.
The feature is able to conduct “multiple related searches concurrently across subtopics and multiple data sources,” and then gathers the results in a streamlined, digestible format, explained Google Search’s vp of product Robby Stein in a blog post.
This method of search enables greater depth and breadth compared to a more traditional search, he said.
Results may include various links, tips, and suggestions for other considerations.
In instances where the model doesn’t have high confidence in the quality or usefulness of an AI-generated response, standard web search results will instead be provided.
The launch is part of Google’s broader efforts to infuse AI into its products while navigating the challenge of maintaining its lucrative search advertising business.
AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT Search and Perplexity have been pitted as potential threats to Google’s dominance in search, though on Monday the company says it garners over 5 trillion searches annually, suggesting AI chatbots haven’t significantly impacted user behavior. AI Mode, nonetheless, signifies a shift in how Google envisions search evolving, potentially bridging the gap between traditional search and conversational AI.
Google also said Wednesday that it is working to improve AI Overviews, which have been rolled out to over a billion users. The company has upgraded Overviews with Gemini 2.0, enhancing performance in areas like coding, advanced math, and multimodal queries.
Additionally, AI Overviews are now available to teen users, and no longer require users to be signed into a Google account.
AI Mode remains in its early stages, as Google seeks out feedback from testers. Stein noted that early users have been engaging with the feature differently than traditional search, writing longer queries and asking follow-up questions more frequently.
