- Google said it would begin testing a new “AI Mode” built into its Search page.
- AI Mode aims to give users “a wider and more diverse” set of results than AI Overviews.
- It brings AI even closer to the core Google Search experience.
Google said it plans to test a new “AI Mode” for Search that would provide an entire page of artificial intelligence-generated results in response to user queries.
The new feature, which is set to first be available to early testers, would place an “AI Mode” tab at the top of the Google Search page. When clicked, the user would be taken to a new page that answers the query with “a wider and more diverse” set of results powered by AI.
Google already offers AI Overviews, which attempt to answer some queries with a direct answer at the top of the page. AI Mode takes this a step further by generating an entire page of results powered by a custom version of the Gemini 2.0 model that uses reasoning and multimodal AI.
In one example Google provided, a user might search for information about sleep trackers and find that AI Mode creates a comparison table that compares the various available options.
Google said it would start inviting Google One AI Premium subscribers in the US to test the new AI Mode via Search Labs, adding that it has already been available to a small number of “trusted testers.” It did not provide a timeline for a wider rollout.
A glimpse into the future of Search
AI Mode arrives as Google is infusing artificial intelligence into all of its major products, while also trying not to disrupt its primary cash cow, which is Search. ChatGPT and other AI chatbots have been seen as an existential threat to Google’s core search business, although the data suggests they’re not yet making a dent.
The new AI Mode, while still in development, offers a glimpse into an entirely new approach to how Google’s search engine may eventually work.
“With this new mode, people can ask nuanced questions that might have previously taken multiple searches — like exploring a new concept to comparing options and beyond — and get a comprehensive AI-powered response,” Google said Wednesday in an accompanying explainer.
AI Mode also feels like a bridge between classic Search and its Gemini chatbot, which currently can only be accessed via its own website or through an app. AI Mode would attempt to answer queries directly where it can but also prominently show links to the sources of information and, Google said, tap shopping data for millions of products.
But like the Gemini chatbot, AI Mode could also let users ask follow-up questions. It’s also multimodal, letting users ask queries using text, voice, or images.
Google said that AI Mode would only work when it has a high confidence in the results. In cases where it doesn’t, it would simply spit out a list of search results. Some features, such as the comparison tables, would also not be available in AI Mode from the very start, but a spokesperson said the company plans to roll them out over time.
Google also said on Wednesday that it had launched its Gemini 2.0 model for AI Overviews, which it said would improve results for more complicated searches, including coding, advanced math, and multimodal queries.
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