Google has officially rolled out its highly anticipated AI Mode within Google Search in India, thus venturing into the same space as Perplexity AI. The AI Mode, which is currently available as an experiment in Google Labs, aims to transform the search experience by providing comprehensive, AI-powered responses, regardless of whether the query is simple or complex.
At the core of AI Mode is a custom version of Gemini 2.5, Google’s advanced large language model, which is tailored to deliver a more nuanced and intelligent search capability. Google says that, unlike traditional search, AI Mode is designed to handle longer and more intricate questions, synthesising information to provide direct and detailed answers, rather than just a list of links.
For example, you can type “Suggest me the most eco-friendly way to get around town for the commute to office and include some good Italian restaurants on the way back” – AI Mode can comprehend the complex query and figure out a solution in a way you can understand.
AI Mode more than just complex textual questions
A key highlight of this new search experience is its multimodal capability. Users will not be limited to text-based queries but can also interact with AI Mode using voice and image inputs. Google says that this allows for a more natural and intuitive way to explore information, catering to diverse user preferences and search scenarios. For instance, you can show an image of a potted plant at the store and bring up all the necessary maintenance information related to it.
Note that AI Mode will be available as an alternative to regular Google Search. AI Mode will be available as a tab next to the ‘All’ tab, which will now offer the traditional web search experience, i.e., web links, YouTube video links and AI Overview to complex questions.
In order to use AI Mode, you will need to head into Google Search Labs and enable AI Mode, since Google is offering it as an experimental feature for now, just like AI Overview.
