Google plans to introduce an "AI Mode" option in its search engine, a step closer to a future where AI chatbots and traditional search listings blend. Reports from The Information and The Verge reveal that a new tab, positioned next to categories like Images and Videos, will give users access to responses resembling those offered by its Gemini AI tool.
Short queries, followed by conversational answers (with links to relevant pages) and follow-up prompts right below. It is a subtle shift away from Google's conventional search results of pages of blue links.
Code identified in test versions of the Google app indicate that there will also be voice integration. Ask the app a question and get a direct conversational reply. The idea feels more personal than conventional search. But whether it will feel more helpful or just a novelty remains to be seen.
There's a lot of pressure on Google to update the way it helps users find answers to queries. OpenAI's ChatGPT is becoming more and more used for everyday questions. Other new competitors, like Perplexity AI, have raised staggering funds and are said to be handling millions of queries weekly. Reddit is also experimenting with its own chatbot assistant. What this shows is that information repositories are working on reshaping traditional search into something chattier, livelier.
Executives at Google seem confident. A spokesperson was quoted by The Information as saying: "As our state-of-the-art models continue to advance, there's a huge opportunity to bring these new capabilities into Search, helping people discover even more of the web."
It looks like the Google's plan here is to integrate, adapt, and keep pace with younger rivals. Some may feel this is a defensive move, triggered by intense competition. Others might see it as logical progress, especially given the technological prowess of the company -- it certainly has the infrastructure and know-how to implement such a feature.
However, it should be remembered that Google sits under a legal spotlight. If regulators perceive new features as helping Google maintain dominance unfairly, the company may need to implement its features in a measured way. Perhaps they will argue that search has always relied on AI, which while true, did not look so obvious before.
Gemini itself has been out there for a while. It was launched separately and then available as a standalone mobile app. But Gemini hasn't quite caught up to the usage levels of ChatGPT (yet, at least). Recent data suggests ChatGPT continues to outdistance competitors by somewhat of a margin. With that said, Google's new AI Mode may be less about increasing its dominance than survival.
Still, for the everyday internet user, a more conversational search could be more of a seamless experience. It would feel more akin to sitting down with a knowledgeable friend. As the industry shifts and experiments, we don't really know for sure what will stick yet. But what's certain is that Google's AI Mode is a move intended to give users meaningful query results in a market that's shifting to a much more chatbot-like experience.