Earlier this year, Google announced the imminent arrival of AI Mode, an AI-powered search chatbot integrated into its proprietary app. Now, it has confirmed that a “small percentage” of users in the US will start seeing an AI Mode tab in Google Search “in the coming weeks,” allowing them to try the tool out for themselves.
Unlike traditional search engines, which return a list of links in response to a query, AI Mode generates answers using a neural network trained on Google’s search index. This sets it apart from the previously launched AI summaries, which appear above standard search results and are also generated by artificial intelligence but in a more limited format.
AI Mode appears as a separate tab within the familiar Google Search interface, alongside options like “All,” “Images,” and “Videos.” Within this tab, users can input complex, multi-part questions and receive contextualized, AI-generated responses. The feature also supports follow-up questions, helping users explore topics more deeply and interactively.
Enhanced Features and Gemini AI Integration
The experience includes additional visual enhancements, such as cards showing product and location information. These appear on the right side of the screen and may include opening hours, reviews, and pricing details. On the left side, users can access a history of their previous searches, which allows them to revisit and track their query journey more easily.
AI Mode leverages the capabilities of Google’s Gemini AI model, offering support for voice and image inputs and enabling more natural, multimodal interactions. With this, Google positions AI Mode as a strong competitor to other AI-powered search tools such as Perplexity and ChatGPT.
Those interested in testing the tool can enable AI Mode through Google Labs and access it via the Google app on both desktop and mobile devices, notes NIX Solutions. Google has stated that it will continue to improve and expand AI Mode with additional features, including more visual answers, improved formatting, and enhanced access to useful content from across the web.
This rollout marks a significant step in Google’s ongoing evolution of search. We’ll keep you updated as more integrations and improvements become available.