9 Dec, 2024
New AI Mode for Google Search could let you jump into a Gemini session in one tap
AI & Machine Learning, Google Gemini, Google Search

Key Takeaways

  • Google is testing AI Mode for search, integrating conversational AI for refining queries and building context.
  • The feature includes a mysterious button hinting at conversation history with Gemini.
  • This AI Mode offers a new conversational search function, different from AI-generated summaries.




Google Gemini is seemingly everywhere, from the latest Pixels to the cheapest Androids, but apparently this is not enough for Google. There’s a new AI wrapper in the works and this time it’s coming for search.

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Google is testing a new feature called AI Mode for its search engine that will integrate conversational AI into the core search experience (via Android Authority). This looks like Google’s latest attempt to integrate Gemini into search and goes beyond the AI summaries we’ve begrudginly come to expect from a Google Search.



A closer look at this new AI Mode

Source: Android Authority

The feature was spotted by Android Authority in the latest Google app v.15.49.40 beta. It appears to provide a tool for quick access to Gemini for refining search queries and building context through follow-up responses.

The interface includes a mysterious button in the top-left corner that doesn’t do anything in its current form, although it could possibly be linked to conversation history with Gemini. There’s also a new shortcut button in the Google Search widget. Tapping it currently opens the Google app, but it is likely to be a shortcut to Gemini when the stable version releases.


We’ve had AI baked into Google searches for several months now, with AI-generated summaries appearing at the top of all search results when using Google in a browser on the web. This so far has not carried over to the official Google app, which is a hub for all things Google on mobile and is also where Google launches new technologies first.

This version of Gemini baked into search is different from the AI-generated summaries we’ve seen so far. This is a conversational search function, much like using OpenAI’s ChatGPT for web searches. The user and Gemini can banter back and forth and rather than clicking on links, Gemini will simply explain the search results to the user. It will also use follow-up questions to refine search results.

There’s been no official word from Google about this, and whether AI Mode will serve as a standalone feature or integrate into existing apps. For now, it’s a beta, but it gives a glimpse of where Google plans to take the internet in the future.