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Google is revolutionizing the search experience with its newly released AI Mode, powered by the advanced Gemini 2.5 model. This significant update represents the most substantial change to Google Search in years, transforming how users interact with information online and setting a new standard for AI-enhanced search capabilities.

The Evolution of Google Search: Introducing AI Mode

On May 20, 2025, at the Google I/O developer conference, Google officially launched AI Mode for Search to the general public in the United States, moving beyond its previous experimental status in Google Labs. This revolutionary feature represents a fundamental shift in how people access information online, leveraging the power of Google’s most advanced AI model, Gemini 2.5.

Initially introduced in March 2025 as a limited experiment, AI Mode has now evolved into a fully-fledged search option that appears as a distinct tab in Google Search results and in the search bar of the Google app. This rollout comes after extensive testing and refinement based on user feedback from Google One AI Premium subscribers who had early access to the feature.

As covered in our live stream of Google I/O 2025, this update marks a pivotal moment in the company’s strategy to integrate advanced AI capabilities into its core products.

How Gemini 2.5 Powers the New Search Experience

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At the heart of AI Mode is Gemini 2.5, Google’s most intelligent AI model to date. Released in March 2025, Gemini 2.5 represents a significant leap forward in AI capabilities, particularly in reasoning, multimodal understanding, and complex problem-solving.

According to Google’s official announcement, “Gemini 2.5 models are thinking models, capable of reasoning through their thoughts before responding, resulting in enhanced performance and improved accuracy.” This reasoning capability is particularly evident in AI Mode’s ability to handle complex, multi-step queries that would previously have required multiple separate searches.

Query Fan-Out: The Technical Innovation Behind AI Mode

What truly sets AI Mode apart from traditional search and even from AI Overviews (which Google launched last year) is its “query fan-out” technique. When a user submits a query, AI Mode doesn’t just perform a single search. Instead, it:

1. Breaks down the query into multiple subtopics and aspects
2. Issues dozens or even hundreds of simultaneous searches across these subtopics
3. Pulls information from diverse sources including the Knowledge Graph, real-time data, and shopping information
4. Uses Gemini 2.5’s reasoning capabilities to synthesize all this information
5. Presents a comprehensive, coherent response with relevant web links

This approach allows AI Mode to provide deeper, more nuanced answers than would be possible with a conventional Google search or even with the AI Overviews feature. As one tech expert put it in a Washington Post analysis, “AI Mode uses Google’s sophisticated AI models, now with a version of Gemini 2.5, and offers more thorough answers than AI Overviews.”

Key Features of Google’s AI Mode

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Google’s AI Mode introduces several groundbreaking capabilities that transform the search experience. Let’s examine the most significant features announced at Google I/O 2025:

1. Deep Search

For complex queries requiring extensive research, AI Mode offers Deep Search functionality. This feature takes the query fan-out technique to an even higher level, issuing hundreds of searches simultaneously, reasoning across disparate information sources, and creating comprehensive research reports with full citations—all in minutes rather than the hours it would take a human to compile similar information.

This feature is particularly valuable for professionals, researchers, and students who need to quickly gather and synthesize information from multiple sources. According to our analysis in AGI Investing: Beginner’s Roadmap to Success in AI, these types of advanced research capabilities were previously only available in specialized tools but are now becoming mainstream through consumer applications like Google’s AI Mode.

2. Live Capabilities

Perhaps the most visually impressive feature is AI Mode’s integration with Google’s Project Astra to create Search Live. This functionality allows users to point their camera at objects in the real world and have a back-and-forth conversation with AI Mode about what they’re seeing in real-time.

“With Search Live, you can talk back-and-forth with Search about what you see in real-time, using your camera. Simply tap the ‘Live’ icon in AI Mode or in Lens, point your camera, and ask your question.” – Google Blog

Use cases range from homework help and identifying objects to receiving real-time advice and recommendations based on what the camera sees. This feature will start rolling out to Labs users later this summer before wider availability.

3. Agentic Capabilities

AI Mode is moving beyond just providing information by incorporating agentic features from Project Mariner that can complete tasks on behalf of users. Initial capabilities include:

• Finding and purchasing event tickets based on specific criteria
• Making restaurant reservations
• Booking local appointments

These features work by allowing AI Mode to analyze options across multiple websites, handle form-filling, and present users with options that match their criteria. The user maintains control by selecting their preferred option and completing the purchase on the website of their choice.

As explored in our article on AI Education: Teachers Monitor AI as Cheating Tool, these increasingly autonomous AI capabilities raise both exciting possibilities and important questions about the role of AI in daily life.

4. Enhanced Shopping Experience

AI Mode brings a significantly improved shopping experience through the integration of Gemini 2.5 with Google’s Shopping Graph. Notable features include:

5. Personal Context Integration

For users who opt in, AI Mode will be able to incorporate personal context from past searches and even integrate with other Google services, starting with Gmail. This allows for highly personalized recommendations based on the user’s history, preferences, and upcoming plans.

For example, if you’re searching for “things to do in Nashville this weekend with friends,” AI Mode could incorporate information from your hotel and flight confirmations to suggest activities near your accommodation, tailored to your interests based on past searches.

6. Custom Charts and Data Visualization

AI Mode can analyze complex datasets and create custom visualizations specifically tailored to the user’s query. This is particularly useful for sports and financial data, where the system can generate interactive graphs and charts that bring numerical information to life in a way that directly addresses the user’s specific question.

How AI Mode Compares to Traditional Search

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To understand the significance of AI Mode, it’s helpful to compare it with traditional Google Search and other search options now available:

Feature	Traditional Google Search	Google with AI Overviews	AI Mode
Primary Output	List of links with snippets	AI summary at top, followed by links	Comprehensive AI response with integrated links
Query Handling	Single search based on keywords	Primary search with some related information	Multiple simultaneous searches across subtopics
Follow-up Questions	Not supported (new search required)	Limited support	Fully conversational with context retention
Multimodal Input	Text and image search (via Lens)	Text and image understanding	Text, image, audio, video with real-time camera interaction
Task Completion	Links to websites where tasks can be completed	Links to websites where tasks can be completed	Can complete some tasks directly (tickets, reservations)
Personalization	Basic personalization based on location/history	Moderate personalization	Deep personalization with Gmail integration (opt-in)

According to Mashable’s analysis, “The era of Google Search, as we know it, is officially over. The era of AI search is here. Google has hit the reset button; whether that’s a leap forward or a tipping point depends on how much you trust AI to understand your questions and answer them for you.”

Implications and Future Outlook

Google’s AI Mode represents a significant shift in how we interact with information online, with far-reaching implications for users, content creators, and the broader technology landscape.

For Users

The immediate benefit for users is a more efficient search experience, particularly for complex queries. Tasks that previously required multiple searches and manual synthesis of information can now be completed in a single interaction. The addition of agentic capabilities further streamlines common online activities like booking tickets or making reservations.

However, this convenience comes with considerations. Users will need to develop a new kind of digital literacy to effectively evaluate AI-generated responses and determine when to dive deeper into source materials. There’s also the question of over-reliance on AI synthesis versus forming one’s own conclusions from primary sources.

For Content Creators and Publishers

The rise of AI search poses significant challenges for websites that rely on Google traffic. When AI Mode provides comprehensive answers directly, users may have less incentive to click through to source websites. This could potentially impact advertising revenue and the broader content ecosystem.

At the same time, Google emphasizes that “helping people discover content from the web remains central to our approach.” The company highlights how AI Mode includes links to relevant content and aims to make it easy for people to explore additional sources.

Future Developments

Google has indicated that AI Mode is where they’ll first introduce Gemini’s most advanced capabilities before potentially integrating them into the core Search experience. Features currently being tested in Labs, like Deep Search and Live capabilities, point toward a future where the line between search engines and intelligent assistants continues to blur.

The competition in this space is intensifying, with OpenAI’s ChatGPT already offering its own web search capabilities. This competitive pressure is likely to accelerate innovation in AI-powered search over the coming years.

For a deeper exploration of how these technologies might impact future investment opportunities, check out our analysis of AGI investing strategies and opportunities.

How to Access and Use Google AI Mode

Google is rolling out AI Mode to all users in the United States starting today (May 20, 2025). Here’s how to access and get the most out of this new feature:

Accessing AI Mode

1. Open Google Search in your browser or the Google app on your mobile device
2. Look for the new “AI Mode” tab that appears at the top of search results or in the search bar
3. Click or tap on this tab to switch to the AI-powered search experience

No sign-up is required for the basic AI Mode. However, some advanced features like Deep Search will initially be available only to users who sign up for the AI Mode experiment in Google Labs.

Getting the Most from AI Mode

• Ask complex questions: AI Mode shines with detailed, multi-part questions
• Use natural language: Phrase queries as you would in conversation
• Follow up with additional questions: Take advantage of the contextual conversation capabilities
• Try multimodal searches: Combine text with images for more specific results
• Review source links: Explore the web sources provided alongside AI responses

For the latest technology news and developments, be sure to visit our technology section regularly.

Conclusion: The New Era of AI-Powered Search

Google’s AI Mode, powered by Gemini 2.5, represents a fundamental reimagining of what search can be. By combining advanced AI reasoning capabilities with Google’s vast information systems, it delivers a more intuitive, comprehensive, and helpful search experience than ever before.

While traditional search isn’t disappearing—at least not immediately—AI Mode signals a clear direction for the future. Search is becoming less about finding links and more about getting complete answers, with the underlying AI doing much of the work previously left to users: finding relevant sources, synthesizing information, making comparisons, and even taking action.

As this technology continues to evolve and more features graduate from AI Mode into core Google Search functionality, we can expect our relationship with online information to transform in ways that were hard to imagine just a few years ago. The search box that has been our portal to the web for decades is evolving into something much more powerful—and potentially much more helpful—than a simple query tool.

The question remains: is this the search experience users have been waiting for, or does it raise new concerns about AI’s increasing mediation of our information ecosystem? Time will tell, but one thing is certain—the way we search for and interact with information online is changing fundamentally, and Google’s AI Mode is leading that transformation.