Google Integrates AI Mode Directly Into Search Experience

Google is set to announce that it will soon introduce AI Mode, its next-generation search engine tool, to a ‘small percentage’ of users in the U.S. In the coming weeks, a selected number of people will get to see the new AI Mode tab in Google Search, allowing them to get exposure of the AI-driven search assistant outside of Google’s experimental Labs environment.

Unlike conventional search engines that exhibits a wall of URL search results based on the enquiry or descriptions a user has typed, Google’s AI Mode will answer questions with an AI-generated answer while collecting information from Google’s search index. This functionality is different from than that of AI Overviews that are mere a chunk of Google Search. AI overviews provide an AI-generated summary of information between the search box and the web results.

The inception of AI mode demonstrate Google’s response to large language models and next generation search engines like Perplexity and OpenAI’s ChatGPT-powered search offering more advanced web search than traditional chatbots.

The feature taps into real-time sources like the Knowledge Graph and shopping data, ensuring up-to-date information.Therefore, unlike general AI assistants such as Gemini, this search-optimized AI model specializes in retrieving and processing real-time web information, delivering more accurate and up-to-date responses to queries.

Google is removing the waitlist for its experimental AI Mode, meaning more people can now try this next-generation search feature before its official launch. The AI Mode tab comes with separate individual tab and will appear alongside familiar options like Images and Videos in Google Search.

Google has enhanced AI Mode with new features designed to make your search experience convenient and helpful. The updated version now saves your past searches in an easy to access left-side panel, making it more simple to revisit previous topics or ask follow-up questions without losing context. AI Mode includes visual place and product cards that display detailed information such as ratings, reviews, prices, and availability for easy navigation.

Google plans to continue refining AI Mode based on user feedback and is exploring the integration of advertising within this feature.