In the wake of increasing competition from other leading AI giants, Google has started testing a new feature that combines its AI overviews with AI mode in search.
Google’s new feature combines AI Overviews with AI Mode
This integration of AI mode into AI overviews would allow users to access AI-generated snapshots of key information about their search results and then ask follow-up questions in a conversational interface.
AI Mode was rolled out to US and global users in May and August, respectively, enabling ChatGPT-like interactions with Google’s Gemini AI; But until now, users have had to choose between traditional search queries or engaging in a deeper conversation by switching to the AI Mode tab, based on their query type.
By combining both of its search engine-oriented AI offerings, Google aims to streamline this process by allowing users to “seamlessly drill deeper” into AI mode directly from the search results page.
Robby Stein, Google’s VP of Product for Search, describes Google’s goal to make information retrieval more intuitive and accessible, stating, “You shouldn’t have to think about where or how to ask your question.”
Announced earlier this week during the testing phase, this new tool is currently only available on mobile devices.
The merger of AI Mode and AI Overviews comes on the heels of OpenAI’s focus shifting to improving its chatbot experience while delaying other product launches.
As Gemini has attracted over 650 million monthly users, after recent upgrades, especially to the Nano Banana image model, merging AI Mode with AI Overviews can further expand Gemini’s user base.
