A quiet but powerful shift has arrived in your Google Search bar. Google AI Mode, first introduced at Google I/O 2025, is now officially available in India through Search Labs on the Google app for both Android and iOS devices. The feature, initially limited to users in the United States, was rolled out to Indian users in June 2025, marking Google’s first major international expansion for the product.

Launched with a special Google homepage animation on 1 July, AI Mode signals a major change in how people interact with Search. Unlike traditional keyword-based results, this new mode delivers a conversational and AI-powered interface using a customised version of Google’s Gemini model. Users can now ask complex, layered questions and receive detailed, cited responses across topics—from recommendations to summaries, insights, and more.

“AI Mode is where we will first bring our frontier capabilities into Search,” said Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, during the I/O 2025 keynote.

What’s inside AI Mode?

AI Mode appears as an optional tab in Search and is accessible via the Search Labs section of the Google app. Once enabled, it transforms the results interface into a more dynamic, back-and-forth exchange. It uses a technique called “query fan-out” to break down user input into multiple intent layers, allowing the AI to process and return more comprehensive results.

For example, if you ask, “What does People Matters recommend as the best AI tool?”, AI Mode not only understands the topic but also returns responses in natural language with source links included.

On mobile, AI Mode supports voice, text, and image-based queries—making it one of Google’s most multi-modal search features to date.

Key features and what’s next

Some of the features rolling out or expected soon in India include:

• Deep Search: Uses advanced reasoning to produce cited, in-depth answers to multifaceted queries.
• Shopping tools: Lets users compare products and even use virtual try-on for clothing.
• Data visualisation: For finance, weather, or sports-related searches, the AI can generate charts and graphs in real time.
• App integration: With permission, AI Mode can personalise results using info from Gmail or Calendar, e.g., suggesting restaurants near an upcoming meeting. This is optional and can be disabled.

Why now?

AI Mode builds on AI Overviews, introduced in 2024, which offered generative summaries in traditional search. However, this new feature goes further, creating a dedicated space for exploratory and complex queries that mimic human conversation.

“This is the future of Google Search—a search that goes beyond information to intelligence,” said Elizabeth Reid, VP and Head of Search at Google.

She confirmed that over time, many AI Mode features will become standard within core Google Search.

Is AI Mode for everyone?

Not necessarily. Eugene Levin, president of SEO platform Semrush, believes AI Mode is best for research-heavy, nuanced questions. “I think the percentage of people who willingly want to use AI Mode for everything is going to be surprisingly low,” he told CNET.

His view reflects a growing trend: users may choose chat-based search for exploratory tasks, while continuing to use classic search for simple fact-based queries.

With AI Mode, Google is pushing the boundaries of what a search engine can be. It’s no longer just about finding pages—it’s about delivering context, reasoning, and dialogue. Whether AI Mode becomes the future of search or simply another option in the toolbelt depends on how users engage with this evolving interface. But one thing is clear: search will never be the same.