Currently, users can engage in a basic, two-way conversation with Google Search. In the near future, users may be able to ask multiple questions within a single search and provide relevant context to each question, such as through the inclusion of images. With each question, Google Search will build and expand upon a knowledge base to provide more information to the user and promote further discussion.
One of the biggest changes that Google Search has recently implemented to enhance its two-way conversation capability is known as AI Mode.
AI Mode allows users to define longer, more complex questions and receive, in addition to a text response, a set of links to questions and answers that Google’s algorithm has determined to be relevant. AI Mode uses Google’s search infrastructure and AI to conduct a deep analysis of a question to determine relevant subtopics, and extract and formulate an answer. If the question is lengthy and complicated, Google Search may break the question down into component parts, also known as query fan-out, and provide an answer to each of the component parts.
AI Mode provides users the capability to have a more in-depth, conversational search experience. Given the capabilities of AI Mode, users should utilize it for questions that involve follow-up research and/or questions that incorporate multiple, if not many, steps.
For example, instead of typing:
- Best places to go in Rajasthan
- What is the weather like in Rajasthan in December
- Rajasthan itinerary with family
- How long is the journey from Jaipur to Udaipur
You can ask
What is the best 7 day Rajasthan itinerary covering Jaipur and Udaipur as mentioned, that includes family activities, and includes an effort to plan daily activities
AI Mode, according to Google, enables users to ask more exhaustive questions than they typically do in normal search mode.
How is Google Search With AI (Google Search With ‘AI Mode’) different from other search modes?
With this mode, Google provides web search services using conversational AI.
Here is the broad overview of the process.
- User asks question.
- AI understands the question and breaks it into smaller components.
- Relevant web results are fetched.
- AI summary of the web results is generated.
- The results are posted along with the web pages and other sources.
With AI Mode
- You will be able to ask questions in an exhaustive manner. You will be able to use text, audio, images, videos, and other forms of content.
- AI Mode will be able to recognize the several components of a question and break it into smaller components.
For example:
“I have a limited budget. What laptop can I buy? Which attributes are most important?”
This encompasses
- financial constraint
- feature details
- modifications for video editing
- comparison of alternatives
- relevant product details
3. Google uses query fan-out
Rather than answering the question exhaustively, AI Mode adopts a more research-based approach by delegating subquestions to Google Search and breaking the main question into various subtopics.
This is one of the major differences from a traditional keyword-based search.
4. The computer provides an answer
5. Additional questions can be asked.
Users can engage in a discussion rather than initiating a new search, which is the crux of AI Mode.
AI Overviews
AI Mode
- Integrated into conventional Search results
- Offers interactive Search within Search experience
- Includes quick overview, summarization, or synopsis
- Allows for exploratory data analysis
- Quick and efficient overview of a topic
- Helpful for constructing complex queries
- Starts with a basic search query
- Answers follow-up questions related to the initial query
- Provides a synopsis of the answer and related question
- May identify and summarize relevant subtopics
AI overviews are excellent for quick overview of complex topics. AI Mode is for advanced exploratory analysis of a topic.
Example
When you search for “what is intermittent fasting” you get an AI overview with a basic definition.
AI mode goes beyond the definition and may address other aspects of intermittent fasting based on the queries provided.
Key Features of AI Mode
AI mode is continuously improved by Google and will be the next generation of search.
1. Conversational Search
Traditional search involves the use of keywords. With this method, you are restricted by the syntax rules of search. With AI mode, you may provide context and describe your search intent in a conversational manner. AI mode will provide results based on the context.
2. Follow-Up Questions
Being able to follow up on questions makes AI mode stronger for research.
Being able to ask follow-up questions to build on the last question creates a contextual framework to understand a topic.
Example:
- Q: What is SEO?
- Q: What is Technical SEO?
- Q: What are some of the most common Technical SEO Issues?
- Q: What is a Technical SEO audit?
- Q: What are some issues that I should check during a Technical SEO Audit?
With AI mode, instead of thinking about questions in a vacuum, you can structure questions in an organized fashion.
3. Multimodal Search
Searching in AI mode is not restricted to type-in text.
Google is extending the scope of AI mode to other search types. Currently, you can ask questions about PDFs and other images.
You can take a picture of something and post it to Google to get an answer about it.
You can search anything and everything!
4. Voice Interaction
AI mode also allows you to search using your voice. This is beneficial when you want to ask a long or complicated question.
5. Deep Search
AI Mode also allows you to instruct Google to perform a deep analysis of multiple search results to provide you with a more thorough answer.
Deep Search allows Google to conduct and compile hundreds of related search queries like in academic research. This feature is in early development, and functionality may change.
Canvas
Canvas is a feature of Google’s AI mode that helps users create various things, such as plans and projects.
Google gives examples of things users can create with Canvas including:
- Vacation plans
- Learning plans
- Fitness plans
- Websites
- Letters of recommendation
- Online games
- Stories and other literary works
- Computer programs
With the help of suggested commands and, in certain cases, with the help of Google, users can refine and edit Canvas.
What Can You Do with Google’s AI Mode?
Google’s AI mode is useful when you need to do research on a topic that requires an in-depth treatment and answers to multiple questions.
You can also use the mode to plan and organize your activities and trips. To create comparisons, you need only state the criteria you want to compare. Likewise, if you wish to learn about a subject, you can ask Google to teach you. The mode can also help you write computer programs. To help you with your questions, Google may also provide additional related queries.
Example:
“My site speed on mobile is horrible. What’s the issue?”
While the quality of responses is improving, important details should be verified with trustworthy sources.
Optimizing Your Search Results
You don’t have to use a specific prompt to get good results, but including helpful details will get even better results.
Add important details to your search
Instead of:
“Best Laptop?”
Say Something Like:
“I am looking for a laptop that is good for video editing and SEO work, has a good battery life, and is under 80,000 rupees. What should I look for?”
This tells the computer:
- What you will use the laptop for
- Where you will use the laptop
- How much money you want to spend
- What features are most important
- What features you will give up
This makes the computer more specific when giving results.
Be Clear When Asking Questions
Don’t be afraid to ask several related questions.
You can give general questions to give the computer a starting point, and then give more specific questions based on the general results you get.
This is probably the biggest change with the new AI mode.
Is this Google Feature Available in India?
Yes.
In 2025, Google started giving some Indian users the feature in English. Later that year, Google added support for Hindi.
The most up-to-date information on Search features, including AI Mode, is available through Google’s Search documentation.
Is AI Mode the Same as Gemini?
No, they are different.
While Gemini is the AI technology that powers AI Mode, they are different products.
In general, Gemini is Google’s AI technology that helps power their AI Assistant.
AI Mode is Google’s AI technology integrated into Search. AI Overviews are AI technology that helps generate summaries in Search results.
AI Mode and the AI technology integrated into Search will impact how website owners and publishers engage with their audience through digital content and what marketers need to consider when developing SEO strategies.
It is important to clarify that there is no need to implement a separate AI mode SEO.
Google has stated that in order to use AI technologies such as AI Overviews or AI Mode, there will be no additional changes to a website that are required beyond what is needed to implement standard SEO practices.
CREATE:
- Content that can be crawled and indexed.
- Useful content.
- Content structured in a way that search engines can understand.
- Appropriate internal links.
- Content that satisfies search intention.
- Content that is up to date and correct.
- Content that provides a good user experience.
- Content that includes relevant, descriptive images and video content.
- Content that is structured using appropriate schema.
- Content that is published in Google and updated Business profiles.
Google suggests that important information on a webpage should be in text format and that structured data should reflect content on the page.
There are certain content best practices for web content that can be useful to implement.
Best Practice 1: Ensure the main content of your webpage answers the main question that your webpage is targeting.
Best Practice 2: Ensure that your webpage covers the main topic and answers the most common questions that are related to and follow up from the main topic.
Best Practice 3: Ensure that your content is logically organized. Use of sub-headings is encouraged.
Use descriptive headings. Vague headings include:
- Things You Need to Know
2. Be direct
Brevity is recommended.
AI Mode integrates Google Search to provide a different, more interactive, experience to search and interact with information, and is not intended to displace Google Search.
AI Mode will not affect how traditional search engines read web pages.
3. Provide evidence to support claims
Information, even medical information, can be researched online. However, to evaluate the credibility of your medical information and ensure its accuracy, refer to the sources cited.
Google highlights the importance of useful and trustworthy content in its statements regarding the AI Search features.
AI Mode and GEO: What Marketers Should Know and Understand
The focus of GEO is to optimize website content and other online materials for interaction with generative AI systems.
The interest in GEO is increased by the use of AI Mode. This is because users are more likely to trust AI-synthesized answers, which may include content from your site, instead of reviewing multiple results.
Like the basic principles of SEO, Google states that the same principles of traditional Search will impact AI Overviews and AI Mode.
This approach focuses on developing an SEO foundation with semantically useful content, providing clear information with authoritative references, and improving user experience.
As AI became smarter, various keyword-stuffing schemes to outsmart the AI system have surfaced.
Avoiding AI Mode SEO
- Stuffing AI Mode in every part of an article. Repeating “AI Mode” like a mantra does not help users.
Think from a user’s point of view and write about associated topics.
- Creating multiple, thin pages to cover each question.
Identify groups of related questions and write an in-depth article to cover the questions in the group.
- Neglecting human readers.
Articles should be written to be useful and easy to read for human users. Repetitive and unnatural language is a clear sign of an article written for machines.
- Ignoring regular SEO.
There are many misconceptions around AI search and how it has lessened the importance of regular SEO. Ultimately, search engines will still show regular search results. AI Overviews and AI Mode summarize search results. In order for results to be shown in AI Mode or Overviews, the regular search results need to be applicable and relevant.
- Relying on AI answers.
Although AI answers are based on a lot of data, that doesn’t mean answers will always be correct.
Final Notes
Search engines want to answer questions directly. Understanding the shift toward conversation in search will help optimize a website for search engines.
The process of searching for information on the internet usually takes the form of:
Searching for the information -> Receiving the information -> Selecting the information -> Reading the information
Because of the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in search engines, the process of acquiring information has been transformed to:
Asking questions -> Obtaining an answer to the question -> Determining the answer to the question -> Selecting and analyzing the answer to the question
Google has conducted various surveys on their clients that have utilized the AI feature and found that their clients have progressively asked complex questions. Because of this, Google introduced improvements to their search and interactive features.
For owners of websites, it is essential to have a deep understanding of the types of questions their clientele are asking. It is important for website owners to have the ability to represent the information that users are seeking in a format that is simple enough for computer programs to understand.
Frequently Asked Questions about Google’s AI Mode
What is Google’s AI Mode?
With this feature, users are allowed to ask Google a question using natural language and are provided with a summary of the answer, along with a list of supporting information. Users are also allowed to ask follow-up questions.
Is AI Mode free?
Yes. The service is free to the public.
Is AI Mode the same as AI Overviews?
No. The AI Overviews feature provides a summary of information answered by Google, while AI Mode provides a question and answer feature.
Does AI Mode use Gemini?
Yes. As of now, this is the case. However, Google can change and update the technology behind AI Mode.
Will AI Mode allow machines to interpret images?
AI Mode can already interpret text and other forms of simulating intelligence. Google is improving its ability to extract information from PDFs and other formats.
Will AI Mode change the need for SEO?
AI Mode and related functionalities rely on conventional SEO, and thus, the current best practices for SEO will not change.
Will web pages be created and controlled by Google exclusively for AI Mode?
There are already pages controlled by Google for other AI functionalities, such as answer snippets. Google can create pages (via dynamic elements) and insert them into the search results, if they meet Google’s quality standards and requirements.
Can I trust all the information provided by AI Mode?
Many AI-generated answers will contain errors. Use your judgment to evaluate the reliability of the information. Google says that AI Mode can and will make incorrect inferences.
Final Thoughts
Google Search is evolving. With the introduction of the AI mode, Google takes a leap toward developing a more comprehensive and interactive search engine.
AI mode modifies the search interface in a way that invites the user to provide a detailed query in the form of complete sentences.
Traditionally, users summarize their query in very few words in order to minimize the number of results that Google presents to the user. In AI mode, users can employ Google Search to its full potential and process complex queries that span over several smaller steps and/or include comparisons.
User queries can also include questions that require planning, research and/or further inquiry. Traditionally, queries that contain these elements required the user to break the overall query into smaller, simpler queries.
Google Search, in AI mode, can also provide visual and/or textual representations of query results.
Google suggest and other search engine optimization (SEO) strategies focused around employing best practices to achieve visibility for user questions are as useful and relevant today as they were before the introduction of AI mode.
