Google didn’t have a good time when they launched AI Overviews, but now it has a way to integrate AI in Search and disrupt the industry forever. Say hi to Google’s new AI Mode! Let’s learn more about this exciting development and how you can be among the first to access it.
Google’s AI Mode Explained
Google AI Mode enables AI-generated answers in the Search, with a conversational interface for follow-up questions.
In simple language, Google has added an AI chatbot to its existing AI Overview. The reason to launch it is because their “power users” wanted more AI responses in their Search.
While the feature is currently in experimental stage, this is how it will work: You will enter your question in the Google Search box as usual and there will be a new tab titled “AI Mode”:
When you click on AI Mode, it will show you an AI-generated answer, similar to AI overviews. Note that this also includes links to sites from where the information is been sourced. However, the cool part is that there will be a chat box at the end of this tab:
Here, you can ask it a more detailed question about the same query to dig up more information. This is like ChatGPT integrated with Google Search.
Finding the right answer on Google Search is overwhelming. That’s where AI mode can save you a lot of time by understanding the exact context of your queries and providing a comprehensive response.
According to Google, the technology combines Gemini 2.0’s agentic capabilities with Google’s information systems such as the Knowledge Graph, and real-time data to create the answers.
Another important advancement is that AI Mode supports multimodal searching, meaning you can provide your query through text, voice, or images.
How to Access Google’s AI Mode?
Users can access AI Mode through the “AI Mode” tab added below the search bar on Google.com, or you can directly try it at google.com/aimode. For Google App, there will be an AI Mode icon also.
But you have to pay for it as they are currently rolling out AI Mode for their Google One AI Premium subscribers in the USA only. Google One AI Premium costs $19.99 per month.
Subscribers have to opt-in through Google’s Labs program. Note that even if you are a subscriber, you might have to join the waitlist until Google invites you.
What’s the Criticism about?
When we use ChatGPT or Perplexity, they give us the exact answers to our queries. We don’t have to browse and click on multiple links like in the case of Google Search. That’s why ChatGPT is a closed system. With this new AI Mode, Google Search might also be moving towards a closed ecosystem.
Think of traditional search as a library where you have to find and read multiple books to get the information you need. Now, imagine AI Mode as a friendly librarian who not only fetches the exact books but also summarizes the relevant chapters for you, highlights key points, and even suggests further reading.
But this has many issues! First, Google faced a backlash when AI responses were giving incorrect and dangerous answers when it was first launched. They know this can also happen again, that’s why their Product manager Robby Stein reiterated that this is an early-stage product and it might be wrong sometimes. When it can’t find the right answer, AI Mode will go back to traditional search.
Second, publishers are already watching a decline in their traffic (and ad revenue) because of AI Overviews and AI Mode will be another big blow to their business model. While some businesses have partnered with AI companies like OpenAI to provide them fresh content, small publishers will now have a much harder time to survive.
Then, there is also the counter argument that this is the best way for Google to stay relevant when more young people are moving to ChatGPT Search and other similar tools provided by new-age AI companies.
Takeaways
We would have to see how Google AI Mode will be received by the users as well as website owners. Google recently had to face a lawsuit from Chegg because of their AI Overview. This new tool will again stir this pot!
Along with this new feature, Google is expanding its AI overviews to handle programming, mathematics, and multimodal queries.
