AI Mode Boosts STEM Searches, Says Google

Google has announced that its AI Mode is now better equipped to deal with complex STEM-related queries, offering clearer and more direct answers — just in time for the new school term.

The company confirmed that this latest update builds on its earlier improvements, making AI Mode more efficient at pulling out key details and presenting information in a concise way.

Robby Stein from Google explained that this week’s update to the AI Mode model was designed to enhance its performance on challenging science, technology, engineering and maths questions. The timing is aimed at supporting students as they head back into classrooms.

This development follows on from updates rolled out during July and August, which placed AI Mode more firmly within study and learning-focused use cases.

What Google Said

Robby Stein took to X to share his enthusiasm for the latest AI Mode model update, noting that it has brought “big improvements” in handling complex STEM questions — a timely boost for students returning to school.

So far, Google has not released an official changelog for this particular adjustment, and Stein did not provide specific examples of queries or performance figures to illustrate the improvements.

Recent Context: Back-To-School Features And Link Changes

Back in July, Google introduced several education-focused features for AI Mode. These included Canvas, which allows for multi-session planning, along with the ability to upload images and, soon, PDFs on desktop. The updates positioned AI Mode as a tool that could support students by reviewing course materials and helping manage longer projects.

A month later, in August, Google unveiled further upgrades. These involved new agent-like functions, optional personalisation settings, and a wider rollout of AI Mode to more users. Taken together, the developments show Google refining both the capabilities and accessibility of AI Mode ahead of the academic year.

In addition, Robby Stein confirmed that Google is experimenting with ways to display more links directly inside AI-generated answers. For desktop users, embedded link carousels are already live, with a mobile release planned in the near future. Alongside this, Google is updating its models to deliver more relevant inline links within response text.

What We Don’t Know

So far, Google has not released a technical explanation of the STEM-related improvements, nor has it offered before-and-after comparisons to demonstrate the changes. There is also no dedicated blog post outlining this particular model adjustment.

For now, the update appears to be part of a series of smaller refinements rolled out over the summer, rather than a major standalone upgrade.

Looking Ahead

Further updates to AI Mode are likely, with more refinements expected in the coming months. We’ll be keeping an eye on how these changes affect the way AI Mode summarises information and provides source citations as new improvements are introduced.