Google Tests AI Mode with Gemini 2.0 Rollout

Google has introduced AI Mode within Google Search Labs, offering a more immersive AI-powered search experience. This new mode enhances Google Search with advanced reasoning, deeper analysis, and multimodal capabilities, providing users with more sophisticated responses.

Alongside this, Google has also upgraded AI Overviews to be powered by Gemini 2.0. Additionally, AI Overviews are now accessible to teenagers, and users no longer need to log in to view AI-generated answers.

AI Mode

AI Mode is a new feature within Google Search, currently available only to those accepted into the Google Search Labs experiment. This tab introduces a more AI-driven search experience, designed to assist users with queries that require deeper exploration, reasoning, or comparisons. Instead of manually analysing and comparing information, AI Mode provides comprehensive AI-generated answers, making the search process more intuitive.

To deliver these responses, AI Mode uses a technique called “query fan-out,” which simultaneously runs multiple related searches across subtopics and data sources. This approach allows Google to present users with a broader and more in-depth range of information compared to traditional search results.

Additionally, AI Mode supports multimodal search, allowing users to search using text, voice, and images. It also includes conversational follow-up capabilities, similar to those found in AI Overviews and Gemini, making interactions more dynamic and user-friendly.

AI Mode is currently available only to users with Labs access, with Google One AI Premium subscribers being given priority. More users will be added over time as the feature rolls out gradually. To sign up, users need to visit Google Search Labs and join the experiment.

Once access is granted, AI Mode can be used in multiple ways:

By searching on www.google.com and selecting the “AI Mode” tab below the search bar.
By directly visiting google.com/aimode.
Through the Google app by tapping the AI Mode icon on the home screen.

Google has confirmed that AI Mode will display relevant links, similar to AI Overviews, to help users discover useful web pages. However, the links and responses shown in AI Mode may differ from those in AI Overviews. Google uses advanced models to decide when to include hyperlinks, prioritising them when users might need to take action, such as booking tickets. In cases where visual information is more beneficial, AI Mode may highlight images or videos instead.

Regarding performance tracking, it remains unclear whether data from AI Mode will be available in Google Search Console. Google has not confirmed whether this information will be included in reporting tools but has stated that updates may come in the future.

Google is launching AI Mode cautiously, as it is still in an experimental phase within Search Labs. The company acknowledges that, like any early-stage AI feature, AI Mode may not always provide perfect results. Extensive testing has been conducted with trusted testers and internal evaluations to refine the feature before its wider release.

Google plans to learn from real user feedback and adjust AI Mode accordingly. This includes monitoring when AI Mode is triggered, correcting inaccuracies, ensuring responses are not biased or misleading, and improving how context is carried across follow-up questions. As AI Mode evolves, it is expected to generate widespread discussion on social media and in the mainstream media over the coming months.

Gemini 2.0 powered AI Overviews

Google has now upgraded AI Overviews to be powered by Gemini 2.0, marking a significant improvement in its capabilities. This transition was initially tested in December, as announced by Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, and has now been officially rolled out.

According to Google, Gemini 2.0 enhances AI Overviews by providing more accurate and efficient responses, particularly for complex queries. The upgraded AI is designed to handle advanced topics, including coding, higher-level mathematics, and multimodal queries, with further improvements expected in the future. Google stated, “With Gemini 2.0’s advanced capabilities, we provide faster and higher quality responses and show AI Overviews more often for these types of queries.”

Additionally, Google has expanded access to AI Overviews by making them available to teenagers. Unlike before, users are no longer required to sign in to access AI-generated answers, making the feature more widely accessible.