Google AI Mode — Google’s dedicated AI search experience, sitting in its own tab in Search rather than above the normal results.
In Google’s own words
Google describes AI Mode as “our most powerful AI search, with more advanced reasoning and multimodality, and the ability to go deeper through follow-up questions and helpful links to the web.” It rolled out to US users on 20 May 2025, running a custom version of Gemini 2.5.
Source: Google, May 2025.
Why it is not AI Overviews
AI Overviews are a summary bolted on top of a conventional results page. AI Mode is a distinct surface you choose to enter, built around conversation and follow-up questions. Different behaviour, different citation patterns, different results for the same business.
If someone tells you they check “Google AI” for you, ask which one they mean.
It runs on fan-out
AI Mode is where query fan-out is most visible: one question becomes many simultaneous searches, and the answer is assembled from all of them.
Related: AI Overviews, query fan-out.