Google has introduced a groundbreaking “AI Mode” for its search engine, allowing its users to ask complex queries. This experimental feature, available to Google One AI Premium subscribers via Search Labs, leverages a custom version of the Gemini 2.0 model to provide comprehensive answers to intricate, multi-part questions.
AI Mode is designed to offer a more diverse and extensive set of results compared to AI Overviews, which currently provide direct answers at the top of search pages. AI Mode enables users to explore topics in depth, facilitating comparisons and follow-up queries seamlessly, by integrating advanced reasoning and multimodal capabilities.
Robby Stein, VP of Product at Google Search, noted that users are embracing AI-powered searches, with queries in AI Mode being twice as long as traditional searches and often followed by additional questions. This trend indicates a growing demand for more sophisticated search experiences, which AI Mode aims to satisfy by providing nuanced and detailed responses.
The AI Mode model prioritises factuality and verification, particularly in sensitive areas like health, where it may opt to provide web links instead of direct answers when unsure. While AI Mode is designed to be highly reliable, it is not immune to errors, reflecting the challenges inherent in cutting-edge AI technology.
Google plans to refine AI Mode’s user experience, making it more visual and incorporating information from diverse sources, including user-generated content. The model is being trained to determine when to include hyperlinks or prioritise images and videos in responses.
Subscribers can access AI Mode by opting into Search Labs or visiting google.com/aimode directly. On mobile devices, users can tap the “AI Mode” icon in the Google app.
In parallel with AI Mode, Google has improved AI Overviews with Gemini 2.0, enabling faster and higher-quality responses for complex queries in coding, advanced mathematics, and multimodal searches. AI Overviews are now accessible without sign-in and are being rolled out to users to further expand Google’s AI-driven search capabilities.