Google has rolled out a new AI chatbot feature in its search engine called ‘AI Mode’, that expands on the tech company’s existing ‘AI Overviews’.
The new feature was announced at Google’s annual developers conference and was rolled out on Tuesday in the US.
AI Mode can be seen in Google’s search bar and enables users to ask more complex questions and receive more tailored answers – interacting with the search engine like an AI chatbot.
Google is also introducing Deep Search, which lets users get comprehensive research from putting out hundreds of searches at once.
There are also live and agentic capabilities in the feature – users can ask questions through their webcam and get AI agents to perform tasks, like buying concert tickets.
The feature also includes an AI shopping experience that lets users try on clothes virtually and shop directly through Google Shopping and Google Pay.
The Future of Search
More people than ever are using AI tools to find the information they want, impacting website search traffic and ads.
Google’s ‘AI Overview’ feature, that summarises answers to queries at the top of a search page, has profoundly impacted search behaviour.
Just last week, MailOnline revealed it’s seeing a 56 percent lower click through rate on its website due to Google’s ‘AI Overview’.
To the news of Google’s ‘AI Mode’, the News/Media Alliance, the trade association representing some of the biggest US news outlets like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, said the new Google feature was “depriving publishers of original content traffic and revenue”.
There continues to be tension around AI tools using content from publishers without permission or compensation whilst contributing to traffic being driven away from their websites.
President and CEO of the News/Media Alliance, Danielle Coffey, said in a statement: “Links were the last redeeming quality of search that gave publishers traffic and revenue.
“Now Google just takes content by force and uses it with no return, the definition of theft. The DOJ remedies must address this to prevent continued domination of the internet by one company.”
