Google Unveils Experimental AI-Powered Search Engine Enhancement

Google unveiled an experimental version of its search engine on Wednesday that substitutes an AI-generated summary for the conventional ten blue links.

Power users have been asking for AI responses on more of their searches. So we’re introducing AI Mode, a new experiment in Search. Ask whatever’s on your mind, get an AI response and keep exploring with follow-up questions and helpful links.

Learn more ↓…

— Google (@Google) March 5, 2025

This new feature, accessible to subscribers of Google One AI Premium, can be found on the results page for any search query by clicking on the “AI Mode” tab, alongside existing options like Images and Maps.

In a blog post, Robby Stein, a vice president of product, stated, “We’ve heard from power users that they want AI responses for even more of their searches.” The Google One AI Premium plan, costing $19.99 per month, offers extra cloud storage and exclusive access to certain AI features.

Currently, Google presents AI overview summaries that appear at the top of traditional hyperlinks to relevant web pages for users in more than 100 countries.

Since last May, advertisements have been integrated into these AI Overviews. With AI Mode, users receive a more detailed AI summary with hyperlinks to cited web pages.

According to Google, AI Mode is powered by a custom version of its Gemini 2.0 model, which boasts enhanced reasoning capabilities for handling complex queries.

In 2024, Alphabet generated $350 billion in revenue, primarily driven by search-related advertising.

However, it faces significant competition from AI challengers, notably Microsoft-backed OpenAI, which added search functions to ChatGPT last October.

In February, edtech company Chegg filed a lawsuit against Google, claiming that the AI previews erode demand for original content and undermine publishers’ competitiveness.

REUTERS/ Chidimma Gold