Google Launches AI Mode Globally With New Features

Google announced AI Mode as a Labs experiment in March 2025, and it was later opened to everyone in the US two months later. By October 2025, it was available in more than 200 countries and territories. According to Ahrefs Blog, AI Mode is Google's conversational search experience, which provides AI-generated answers with links to the sources used.

AI Mode works by using a technique called query fan-out, which divides a question into subtopics and searches for each one simultaneously across multiple data sources. The results are then combined into one answer. For example, a prompt like 'Could you suggest Bluetooth headphones with a comfortable over-ear design and long-lasting battery?' could fan out into several subtopics, such as best Bluetooth headphones with over-ear design and top-rated over-ear Bluetooth headphones with long battery.

Google's AI Mode has several features, including search with any input, Search Live, generative UI, info monitoring, and agentic booking. It can also build interactive visuals, charts, calculators, and simulations on the fly. Additionally, AI Mode has a shopping cart and can link users to book products or services, such as restaurant reservations or event tickets.

The agentic features of AI Mode are notable, as they allow the AI to book tables or add products to a cart on behalf of the user. This means that users may never visit a website at all. AI Mode also has its own report in Search Console, its own opt-out setting, and its own shopping cart, making it a separate entity from classic Google search.

AI Mode is different from AI Overviews, which are AI summaries that appear at the top of regular search results. While AI Overviews provide a summary of the search results, AI Mode provides a conversational experience that allows users to ask follow-up questions. Google says that the two may use different models and techniques, resulting in varying responses and links.

At I/O 2026, Google merged AI Mode and AI Overviews into one seamless AI Search experience. Users can now go from a regular search to an AI Overview to a follow-up question in AI Mode without leaving the results page. This integration is expected to enhance the user experience and provide more accurate results.

Google's AI Mode is powered by the Gemini 3.5 Flash model, which is the default model for AI Mode globally. However, Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers can also pick the Gemini 4 Argon model, which is Google's most capable model, for harder multi-step questions.