Google Search Launches AI Mode and Expands AI Overviews with Gemini 2.0 for Smarter Search Results

Google has announced that Gemini 2.0 is now powering AI Overviews in the US. This will assist with more complex coding, advanced math, and multimodal questions. Google promises better and quicker responses. To compete with well-known services like Perplexity AI and OpenAI’s ChatGPT Search, Google is introducing a new experimental feature called “AI Mode” in Search. On Wednesday, the tech giant said that the new mode will enable users to ask follow-ups and complicated, multi-part inquiries to delve further into a topic right within Google Search.

Expansion of AI Overviews

Google Search is adopting AI technology at a rapid pace. The company announced intentions to broaden the scope of its AI Overviews tool to include more search queries, making it accessible to users globally, including those who are not registered into Google accounts, on Wednesday, March 5. Google is also launching an even more sophisticated AI-powered search tool called AI Mode. Similar to competitors like Perplexity or ChatGPT Search, this feature incorporates a search-focused chatbot straight into the Google main interface.

Additionally, it says that over a billion people are “using” AI Overviews, which is, to put it mildly, deceptive, given that you are not able to choose to use this service; rather, Google throws it at you whenever it pleases. So, such “users” do not actually have a choice. The good news is that AI Overviews are now available to teenagers and those who aren’t signed into their Google accounts, so more people won’t have any options anymore. Therefore, if that was your method of avoiding AI Overviews, it is no longer available. Indeed, the future is here.

Going forward, Google is introducing AI Mode as a test in search (for now) because it appears that, even with AI Overviews, there is simply not enough AI on your search pages. Actually, you can choose to use Search Labs for this one.

The “more advanced reasoning, thinking and multimodal capabilities” that it adds to AI Overviews’ capabilities essentially encompass every term used in recent years. You can ask for things in this tab, which appears in the upper left corner, even to the left of the “All” tab. From there, you can proceed with follow-up inquiries and “helpful web links” (for now, at least).

Google says that AI Mode, which makes use of a customized version of Gemini 2.0, is “particularly helpful for questions that need further exploration, comparisons, and reasoning”—though it’s not clear what “reasoning” or “thinking” actually implies. That “you can ask nuanced questions that might have previously taken multiple searches” is the selling point here. If accuracy is your first priority, you will need to double-check all of the responses with multiple searches.

Google’s “best-in-class information systems” and “advanced model capabilities” are combined in this experience, whatever those terms entail. Both “fresh, real-time sources like the Knowledge Graph” and excellent web content are available to you. Additionally, there is shopping data for billions of products because, well, there are.

And here’s the inevitable small print: “while we aim for AI responses in Search to present information objectively based on what’s available on the web, it’s possible that some responses may unintentionally appear to take on a persona or reflect a particular opinion” . Don’t worry, though; the upcoming testing phase will take care of all of that. Richer formatting, “new ways to get helpful web content,” whatever that means, and more visual responses with pictures and video are also on the horizon.

Google cautions that we might not always get it right.

Google warns that search powered by AI isn’t perfect. Overviews in AI Mode could take on a more conversational tone and occasionally stray into inaccuracies, or what tech people call “hallucinations.” According to Stein’s blog post, “As with any nascent AI product, we won’t always be perfect,” acknowledging that some responses may inadvertently come across as opinionated or take on a persona.

Stricter protections are being put in place for queries about finance and health in AI Mode to reduce risks. The feature is only making its debut in the experimental Labs section since it needs to be improved.

How to use AI mode in Google

AI Mode, which is only available to Google One AI Premium customers who must activate it through the Search Labs section, is now in the testing stage. For now, the AI feature will only be available to users who have Google One AI Premium, which costs $20 a month.

How and Why of AI Mode in Google

• The idea behind AI Mode is that a lot of Google users could favor AI-generated search results above other search results. When users switch to AI Mode, which can be accessed as a tab on the search page or Google app, along with options like Images or News, they are presented with a generated response that is based on Google’s extensive search index and includes a few pertinent links.
• The experience simulates dealing with chatbots like Gemini, but it makes use of a model designed specifically for search that can access real-time data and connect with the web directly.

AI Mode highlights the increasing importance of AI-generated content in Google Search and the company’s growing trust in the capabilities of its models, even in the face of previously reported mistakes, such as recommending rock consumption or glue on pizza. According to Robby Stein, VP of product for the Search team, “Users of AI Overviews are posing more complex questions to Google—queries that were trickier to handle previously.” Stein thinks Google will be very good at answering mathematics, coding, and other questions requiring sophisticated reasoning once the Gemini 2.0 model is incorporated into AI Overviews.

Google seems to be moving away from its long-standing reliance on website links, which were a key component of its original pact with the internet, as it continues to explore AI-driven search. “AI Overviews provide context that encourages users to click through to websites, where they tend to linger longer,” Stein states, disputing this idea. Due to their increased level of knowledge, these users might even be more beneficial to site owners. He expects that rather than replacing current search patterns, AI Overviews and AI Mode will attract new users for unique purposes.

Given the variety of ways people use Google, Stein highlights that AI Mode isn’t a prelude to a complete makeover of search, which a chatbot by itself couldn’t completely replace. However, there is no denying that Google’s AI efforts are permeating and changing the core of the Google search experience.

To be the first to test AI Mode, Google will begin inviting Google One AI Premium subscribers.

This week, Google One AI Premium subscribers will be able to access AI Mode through Search Labs, Google’s experimental division.

Because of its sophisticated reasoning, thinking, and multimodal capabilities, the feature—which makes use of a customized version of Gemini 2.0—is especially beneficial for queries that require additional exploration and comparison.

For example, you could ask: “What’s the difference in sleep tracking features between a smart ring, smartwatch, and tracking mat?”

After that, AI Mode can provide you with a thorough comparison of the features of each product as well as links to the articles from where it is obtaining the data. To continue your search, you may then ask a follow-up query, like “What happens to your heart rate during deep sleep?”

According to Google, using typical searches in the past would have required several queries to evaluate particular options or explore a new idea.

In addition to web content, AI Mode allows you to access real-time sources such as the Knowledge Graph, real-world information, and shopping data for billions of products.

Google also announced the launch of Gemini 2.0 for AI Overviews in the United States as part of today’s event. According to the company, AI Overviews will now be able to assist with more complex queries, beginning with multimodal queries, sophisticated math, and coding. Additionally, Google revealed that users can now access AI Overviews without logging in, and teens will soon be able to utilize the feature as well.