According to Google, users like its AI Overviews features so much that they have asked for AI-generated responses in more searches. To this end, the company announced the experimental release of 'AI mode' last week: a Labs experiment that "expands what AI Overviews can do with more advanced reasoning, thinking and multimodal capabilities so you can get help with even your toughest questions." In practice, the AI mode is quite similar (and a rival to) other AI search products like Perplexity and ChatGPT Search.

Google's AI mode enables users to ask complex queries such as "when is the best time this week to schedule an outdoor engagement photoshoot in the Boston Public Garden", which would require multiple traditional searches: the weather forecast for this week, the Boston Public Garden's hours of operation, and whether there are any major events scheduled at the venue or surrounding areas, to name a few. By using the AI mode, users save time by leveraging the feature's capability to perform parallel searches and integrate them into a unified ordinary language response. Users are also able to ask follow-up questions that will be interpreted within the context of the larger conversation.

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Credit: Google

An important limitation is that natural language responses are only available when Google is confident that the relevant response to a query will be helpful and high-quality. For less common searches and queries for which there may not be too many high-quality resources, AI mode will simply output a list of web search results. The company also reports that although they aim to present responses in the most objective light possible according to the information available on the internet, some AI mode responses may take on a persona or reflect a one-sided opinion.

Still, the company claims that the current testing phase will help it address any challenges that arise with the help from user feedback. Google also shared it is already working on enriching AI mode with additional features such as responses with richer formatting or integrating image and video where appropriate.

AI mode is currently a limited opt-in experience available to Google One AI Premium subscribers first. For those without a subscription, Google also announced AI Overviews were upgraded with Gemini 2.0 under the hood and will now be accessible without the need to sign in to a Google account first.