Google is rolling out a new AI-powered search tool dubbed ‘AI Mode’ to a limited group of users in the United States. This marks the first time the tech giant is expanding access to its generative AI search capabilities outside its Labs experimental platform.
The new feature is Google’s latest response to rising competition from companies like Perplexity and OpenAI, which have been offering alternative, AI-driven search experiences that prioritize synthesized, conversational answers over traditional search result lists. Google’s ‘AI Mode’ seeks to bring similar functionality to its vast user base, backed by its unmatched search index and infrastructure.
According to a blog post published by Google on Thursday, May 1, the company will begin testing the tool with a small percentage of US users over the coming weeks. The ‘AI Mode’ will generate natural language responses to search queries, leveraging artificial intelligence to summarize and present information pulled directly from Google’s search index. The goal is to streamline the search process by delivering concise, accurate answers without requiring users to sift through multiple websites.
While Google has previously experimented with AI features in Search Labs under the name Search Generative Experience (SGE), this broader rollout suggests increasing confidence in the technology’s stability and user readiness. Notably, the AI-generated answers will be marked as such, ensuring transparency about the source and nature of the content.
By offering this tool outside of its Labs environment, Google is signaling a more aggressive strategy to keep pace in the evolving AI landscape. It also reflects the company’s ongoing investment in integrating generative AI across its suite of products, including Gmail, Docs, and Android.
However, questions remain about how Google will manage potential risks, such as misinformation or the accuracy of AI-generated answers. The company emphasized that user feedback during this testing phase will be critical in refining the experience.
As the competition intensifies in the AI search space, Google’s ‘AI Mode’ could redefine the standard for how people interact with search engines moving from keyword-based queries to conversational, AI-assisted discovery.
