AI Mode in Google Search: Revolutionizing Search Experience in India
Google has officially announced the rollout of AI Mode, its most powerful AI search experience, to users across India. This groundbreaking feature represents a significant leap forward in how we interact with search engines, offering a more intuitive, comprehensive, and intelligent way to explore information.
From Experiment to Reality
AI Mode first launched as an experiment in Labs in June, exclusively for Indian users. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with users appreciating both the speed and quality of responses. Following successful testing in the U.S. earlier this year and positive feedback from early adopters, Google is now making AI Mode available to everyone in India without requiring Labs sign-up.
Starting today, users will see a new AI Mode tab appear in Google Search and in the search bar of the Google app, available in English. This marks a significant milestone in making advanced AI search capabilities accessible to India’s vast digital population.
Built for Complex Questions
AI Mode represents Google’s most sophisticated AI search technology, powered by a custom version of Gemini 2.5. Unlike traditional search that works best with short, specific queries, AI Mode is designed to handle complex, multi-layered questions that would previously require multiple searches.
Early testers are already demonstrating this shift in behavior, asking queries that are 2-3 times longer than traditional searches. This indicates that users are embracing AI Mode for their most challenging questions, particularly for exploratory queries and complicated tasks like comparing products, planning trips, or understanding complex how-tos.
For example, instead of searching “indoor activities for kids,” users can now ask: “My kids are 4 and 7 and have lots of energy. Suggest creative ways to get them active and moving indoors, especially on hot days, without needing a lot of space or expensive toys.”
Advanced Technology Under the Hood
The magic of AI Mode lies in its sophisticated query fan-out technique. When you ask a complex question, the system breaks it down into subtopics and issues multiple queries simultaneously on your behalf. This enables Search to dive deeper into the web than ever before, discovering hyper-relevant content that precisely matches your question.
The system seamlessly integrates advanced model capabilities with Google’s best-in-class information systems, accessing not just web content but also real-time sources like the Knowledge Graph, real-world information, and shopping data for billions of products.
Multimodal Search Experience
Recognizing that India has one of the world’s highest usage rates for Google Lens, AI Mode has been designed as a fully multimodal experience. Users can interact with the system in whatever way feels most natural:
Voice Search
Simply tap the microphone icon and ask your query using your voice. This is particularly useful for long, detailed questions or when you’re on the go, allowing you to search without breaking your stride.
Visual Search with Lens Integration
AI Mode incorporates the powerful capabilities of Google Lens, enabling users to ask complex questions about what they see. For instance, if you receive a new plant as a gift, you can snap a photo and ask: “What’s this plant and give me instructions on how to repot and take care of it.” The system will identify the plant and provide detailed, step-by-step responses with relevant links.
Follow-up Questions
The conversational nature of AI Mode allows for natural follow-up questions, enabling users to dig deeper into topics without starting fresh searches.
Impact on Search Behavior
The introduction of AI Mode is part of Google’s broader vision to make information access more effortless. AI Overviews, now used by over 1.5 billion users monthly, has already demonstrated the appetite for AI-powered search. In major markets like the U.S. and India, AI Overviews has driven more than a 10% increase in usage for relevant query types, with growth accelerating over time.
AI Mode expands on this foundation with more advanced reasoning, thinking, and multimodal capabilities, creating new opportunities for content discovery and exploration.
Quality and Reliability
Google has built AI Mode on its core quality and ranking systems, implementing novel approaches to improve factuality. The system aims to provide AI-powered responses whenever possible, but in cases where confidence is low, it will display traditional web search results instead.
As with any early-stage AI product, the system won’t always be perfect, but Google is committed to continuous improvement. The initial launch as an experiment in Labs was crucial for gathering user feedback and refining the experience.
Looking Forward
The rollout of AI Mode in India represents more than just a new feature—it’s a fundamental shift in how we think about search. By enabling more natural, conversational interactions with complex, multi-faceted questions, AI Mode is helping users explore their curiosity and understand the world around them in unprecedented ways.
As this technology continues to evolve and expand, it promises to make the vast wealth of information on the web more accessible and useful than ever before. The future of search is here, and it’s powered by AI that understands not just what you’re asking, but how you want to explore and learn.
For users in India, AI Mode is now available in the Google app and Google Search, marking the beginning of a new era in information discovery and digital exploration.