OpenAI has entered a “Code Red” state in response to competitive pressures. Meanwhile, Google has announced it is testing a new feature that merges its AI Overviews with AI Mode in Search. This means users who see the AI-generated snapshot of information above their search results can now choose to ask follow-up questions in a conversational interface directly from that page.
Google calls this conversational feature AI Mode. It launched to U.S. users in May and to global users in August, allowing for back-and-forth chats with Google’s Gemini AI, similar to the ChatGPT experience.
Previously, accessing this experience required planning. For a traditional search query, you would use the standard search box. But if you expected to explore a topic in detail, you had to click over to the AI Mode tab to start chatting. Google is now testing whether it makes sense to keep these two experiences separate, as the process of seeking information often leads to a desire to learn more. A user might start with a simple query only to find themselves wanting to delve deeper.
With this new test, announced on a Monday, Google states users will be able to seamlessly go deeper in AI Mode directly from the Search results page. The test is rolling out globally but is only available on mobile devices for now.
This rollout coincides with a push inside OpenAI, which is delaying other products to focus on improving its chatbot experience. Thanks in part to the release of Gemini’s advancements, Gemini has grown to over 650 million monthly users as of November. Merging the conversational AI Mode with AI Overviews, which has 2 billion monthly users, could give Gemini a significant edge in consumer adoption.
Robby Stein, VP of Product for Google Search, noted in a post that users should not have to think about where or how to ask a question. He explained that users will continue to get an AI Overview as a helpful starting point but will then be able to ask conversational follow-up questions in AI Mode from the same screen. This brings Google closer to its vision for Search: to let users ask whatever is on their mind and find exactly what they need.