A major shift has arrived on your Google Search page—and it looks a lot more like a chatbot than the search engine you’re used to.
Google officially rolled out AI Mode to all English-language users in the U.S. over age 13 on July 1, after previewing the technology at its I/O 2025 developers conference. The feature, powered by Google’s Gemini generative AI, is now available as a new tab directly in your Search bar.
The goal? To deliver conversational, intelligent responses rather than just links—ushering in the next era of how we find information online.
What Is Google AI Mode?
AI Mode acts like a smart assistant built into Search. It uses a custom Gemini AI model to provide context-rich, multi-layered answers to your questions—complete with links, graphs, and follow-up suggestions. It’s designed to handle complex, multi-part queries and offer more thoughtful, human-like responses.
Google calls this a “query fan-out technique,” which breaks down one question into multiple sub-questions to deliver more complete results.
And this isn’t just text. For product searches, AI Mode offers interactive recommendations. For sports and finance queries, it will soon generate real-time graphs and data visualizations, expected to arrive later this summer.
More Personalized Integrations
One of the biggest upgrades coming soon: AI Mode’s integration with your Google apps. Ask for restaurants in a city you’re visiting, and it might factor in your Gmail flight confirmations or Calendar events to personalize the suggestions.
You’ll be able to disable this access, but the direction is clear—Google wants to offer context-aware search that feels more like talking to a virtual assistant than typing into a search bar.
How AI Mode Works on Mobile and Desktop
AI Mode appears as a new tab at the top of Google Search, similar to Images or News. On mobile, it works just as smoothly—whether you’re using Chrome or Safari. You can also access it directly via a dedicated URL for an all-in-one AI experience.
And for deeper questions, a new “Deep Search” feature will scan hundreds of search threads to generate long-form, cited answers within minutes.
Why It Matters: The Future of Search
This rollout marks a turning point for how we interact with the internet. Instead of searching “best Father’s Day gifts,” you might now ask, “What should I get my dad who loves Roman history and woodcraft?”—and AI Mode will respond with tailored, thoughtful ideas.
Google’s head of Search, Elizabeth Reid, says the move is about elevating search from information retrieval to intelligent assistance.
“This is the future of Google Search,” Reid said. “A search that goes beyond information to intelligence.”
Not Everyone Is Sold
Still, not all experts are convinced that AI Mode will work for everything. Eugene Levin, president of SEO tool Semrush, believes many users will still prefer traditional search for fast answers like movie facts or specific URLs.
“AI Mode is best for complex, multi-layered queries,” Levin said. “But if you just want quick facts, regular search might still be faster.”
He suggests that users will naturally switch between AI and traditional search depending on their needs—just like many ChatGPT users still turn to Google for certain topics.
What’s Next For Google Search?
While AI Mode is currently optional, don’t expect it to stay that way. Google says many of its features will eventually be baked directly into core Search.
So whether you’re ready or not, the age of chat-powered search is here—and it’s changing everything.
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