Google is enhancing its Search feature with AI Mode, a development that could transform your online shopping, planning, and learning experiences. There’s no need for a waitlist to try it out now.
Google’s AI Mode integrates generative AI with real-time web results. Rather than just providing a list of links, it comprehends complex questions and delivers detailed, personalized responses.
What’s new
- Enhanced search capabilities: Ask intricate questions like “mid-century modern dressers near me,” and receive product cards, local store information, and current pricing.
- Streamlined travel planning: Visual cards now facilitate comparisons between destinations, restaurants, and hotels, complete with ratings, hours, and additional details.
- Conversation memory feature: A new sidebar displays your previous searches, allowing for easy return to research or to build upon earlier inquiries.
“We’re taking AI Mode to the next level,” stated Soufi Esmaeilzadeh, Director of Search Product Management. “Our goal is to make it easy for users to pick up where they left off.”
Starting today, AI Mode in Google Search is available to all Labs users in the US (no more waitlist). Additionally, we're introducing new features to help with tasks ranging from shopping to planning your next outing.
More details below 🧵
— Robby Stein (@rmstein) May 1, 2025
Users in the U.S. can opt in right away through Google Labs.
A “small percentage” of users will also notice a new AI Mode tab appearing in regular Search, without the need for signup.
Looking beyond the features
AI Mode represents Google’s response to AI-driven search competitors like Perplexity and ChatGPT. It aims to provide a more user-friendly search experience by merging AI conversations with up-to-date web data, advancing beyond traditional AI Overviews.
The landscape of search is shifting. With AI Mode, Google is transforming its renowned search bar into a dynamic, interactive research assistant, now accessible to a wider audience.
