Google Unveils AI Mode in Search Engine

Alphabet’s Google has introduced a groundbreaking search engine feature on Wednesday, moving away from the traditional 10 blue links to embrace an AI-generated summary format. This innovative feature, known as “AI Mode,” is exclusively available for subscribers of the Google One AI Premium service.

Activating AI Mode

Accessible directly from the search results page, users can easily activate the new AI Mode by selecting the dedicated tab next to standard search results. This feature delivers comprehensive AI-generated summaries enriched with hyperlinks, fundamentally changing how users interact with search results.

Integration of AI in Search

Google has steadily incorporated artificial intelligence into its search functionalities with the “AI Overviews,” which are concise summaries displayed above traditional results in over 100 countries. Notably, advertising was added to these summaries last May.

Impact on Competitiveness

The rollout of AI Mode signifies Google’s most assertive initiative to maintain its search market dominance, especially as competitors like Microsoft-backed OpenAI have quickly gained traction. OpenAI notably launched integrated search features within ChatGPT in October of the previous year, heightening the rivalry in the AI-enhanced search space.

Significance of AI Integration

Ruth Porat, who is in charge of investments at Google, has referred to the incorporation of AI into search as Google’s “largest gamble,” particularly as search-driven advertising remains central to Alphabet’s revenue model. Last year, earnings from the search advertising sector constituted a major portion of the company’s income.

Subscribers to the Google One AI Premium service, a paid option that provides improved cloud storage alongside advanced AI functionalities for an added fee, can unlock the new AI Mode by selecting the appropriate tab on the search results page.