Google is on the verge of revolutionizing its core search functionality by incorporating artificial intelligence more deeply. Recent reports and app analyses indicate that the tech giant is gearing up to introduce an “AI Mode” that will bring its Gemini agent to the forefront of the search experience.
According to The Information, Google is planning to offer its vast user base the choice to switch to an AI Mode within Google Search. This new interface is reminiscent of the company’s Gemini AI chatbot, potentially bridging the traditional search and AI-powered interactions. This development comes as Google’s standalone Gemini chatbot competes with OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Previous investigations by Android Authority revealed evidence of this AI integration in a beta version of the Google app. The publication highlighted a dedicated “AI mode” button, which was also present on Google’s Android search widget. Additionally, a conversation history button was added to the app, suggesting a more conversational approach to search.
I shared about AI mode last week. Here’s how it will look -> Here’s how you’ll access Search’s upcoming AI Mode (APK teardown)
“Google is working on a new AI Mode for Google Search, which presumably will allow users to interact with Search more conversationally.”… pic.twitter.com/N0blRKeMZj
– Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) December 9, 2024
Dataminers at 9to5Google uncovered references to “aim” and “ai_mode,” indicating a dedicated tab within the Google app. This tab will offer buttons for voice interactions and the ability to send images for analysis, enhancing user engagement with the search engine.
Google has been gradually integrating its AI capabilities into search. The controversial AI Overviews feature provides users with AI-generated summaries for queries, eliminating the need to sift through multiple sources. Users can also ask complex questions involving math, coding, and multimodal inputs. Google has expanded search beyond text, facilitating video and image-based queries through Google Lens, with Gemini analyzing real-time content to answer user queries.
The potential introduction of AI chat access directly from the search results page is a strategic move by Google to compete in an increasingly AI-driven search market. This move coincides with similar advancements by other tech industry giants. OpenAI’s ChatGPT is rolling out AI-powered search for all free users, while Microsoft offers Copilot-powered search. Even privacy-focused alternatives like DuckDuckGo have introduced AI summaries and chat features.
