Remember when finding information online meant typing the same question different ways until you got what you needed? Google’s new AI Mode wants to change that. Available now across the United States, it’s transforming how we search online – and people are noticing the difference.
“AI Overviews is one of the most successful launches in Search in the past decade,” says Sundar Pichai, Alphabet’s CEO. He’s not just making empty claims. In the U.S. and India, people are searching 10% more often when using these AI features. Why? Because they’re getting better answers to their questions.
Take planning a weekend trip. Instead of jumping between different websites for restaurants, hotels, and activities, you can now type something like “Plan a food-focused weekend in Nashville with live music.” The system searches hundreds of websites at once, pulling together restaurant recommendations, music venues, and even checking your travel dates if you let it connect to your Gmail.
But this raises an important question: what about your privacy? Google says you’re in control. Want personalized suggestions based on your emails? You need to turn that on. Not comfortable sharing? Keep it off. The choice stays in your hands.
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The technology works like having multiple research assistants. When you ask a complex question, the system (using what techies call “query fan-out”) splits it into smaller parts, searches for each piece, and brings it all together. Elizabeth Reid, who heads Google Search, explains this helps users “discover even more of what the web has to offer and find incredible, hyper-relevant content.”
Shopping online? The system now lets you upload a photo to see how clothes might look on you before buying. Looking for game tickets? Tell it your budget and preferences, and it searches across ticket sites to find your best options. Need deep research on a topic? Deep Search can issue hundreds of searches and create expert-level, fully-cited reports in just minutes, saving hours of research time.
The biggest change is how you interact with search. Gone are the days of keyword-only searches. Now you can ask questions naturally, like you’re talking to a knowledgeable friend. “People are coming to Google to ask more of their questions, including more complex, longer and multimodal questions,” Reid notes.
The impact shows in the numbers. With over 1.5 billion people already using Google’s visual search features monthly, this new AI Mode builds on that foundation. For event tickets, restaurant reservations, and local appointments, Google is working with companies like Ticketmaster, StubHub, Resy, and Vagaro to create a seamless experience.
AI Mode represents a significant change in how we find information online. When you need to research, plan, or explore a topic, the new features help you get more comprehensive answers. Your search experience becomes more conversational, with AI Mode working to understand and respond to your questions more naturally.
The rollout continues across the United States, bringing these new search capabilities to more users. As Google puts it, AI Mode is where they’ll first bring their most advanced AI capabilities, giving us a glimpse of what’s to come in how we search for and find information online.
