If you’ve used Google Search in the last year, you’ve no doubt noticed some new AI-powered features, like AI Overviews. Now, Google is rolling out a new, more experimental AI-powered search mode, which has implications for SEO. Let’s talk about it.
AI Mode is like a more sophisticated version of AI Overview, with advanced reasoning that goes beyond the current capabilities of Google’s other AI-powered products.
Powered by a custom version of Gemini 2.0, which is Google’s generative AI chatbot, AI Mode allows for follow-up questions, comparisons between multiple distinct options, and more nuanced search queries. It functions similarly to a chatbot, allowing users to pose more conversational queries that the AI can answer. It also supports searching with text, images, and voice, allowing users more flexibility when they search.
Say you’re torn between two vacation spots. Which one should you choose?
You could ask AI Mode about the differences between two travel destinations. AI Mode will provide some basic information about each destination, complete with links to sources so you can verify the validity of the information and learn more.
From there, you could ask a follow-up question about the current climate in each place, which will help you know whether now is the best time to visit.
And then, if you’re still not sure, you could request examples of must-visit sites in each location to compare.
A question that would have once taken extensive searching – “Which travel destination should I choose?” - is now able to be answered with three simple questions.
According to Google, the company has received feedback from some of its users that they would prefer to have AI responses that go beyond just AI Overviews. AI Mode is made to be a faster, more timely way to Search, and the company claims that they’ve received positive feedback from trusted testers.
However, there may still be issues with objectivity, and Google’s next testing phase will be tackling this challenge. The company will also be working on creating more visual responses and making other rapid updates based on user feedback.
Interested in trying out AI Mode? Currently, the experience is exclusive to Google One AI Premium subscribers, but we should expect to see this feature roll out to regular users in the coming months. If you are a subscriber, you can begin using the feature by signing up for the Search Labs experiment. Then, select the “AI Mode” button on the top left side of the search results page.
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