For over two decades — almost a generation — we have been used to searching for information on Google in a certain way. There is a search box where a query is keyed in, and Google shows an index of pages that may answer the query, allowing us to move from one result to another. Earlier this year, Google introduced AI Mode as an experiment in the US, and now it has been rolled out in India (as an experiment in Labs in English).

AI Mode allows people to ask long-tail queries like ‘what are the best plants to put in a shaded area that can also be dry’ and ‘what food did Elvis Presley eat when he lived in Memphis, and when is the best time to visit the places where he ate’. The answers are comprehensive.

Artificial intelligence is good at such searches that traditional search would probably have failed to deliver accurately. Such searches are common on platforms like Perplexity.

But there are drawbacks. When the queries are answered, the reference points are shown on the right, but the number of links is limited. Further, many of the links that are shown (which are also referred to in the AI-generated answer) are not always from sources we are familiar with.

What are the long-term effects of AI Mode search?

The search results may have an impact on shopping-related queries. For example, if you were to ask AI Mode to show you the best five phones between 20-30K in the colour gold, the results may not be of the highest quality. At times, certain products are mentioned in the answer, but you can’t directly click through to go to that product, even if that means going to the official site. That may change in the coming days because there have been talks about how AI agents can help make purchases.

It’s interesting to make the same searches in regular search mode. The phones that we asked for will be shown at the top, with links. AI Overviews does a reasonably good job of answering the query in short form. The organic results below AI Overviews are far stronger, like comments on Reddit or links to trusted websites with articles on the subject. But it takes time to visit each link individually. It’s human nature to fall back on gists, which the AI Mode offers.

Some brands may see huge growth by optimising for AI Mode, but some brands may fall behind. In our case, the companies that sell smartphones as well as banks that offer EMI schemes can benefit from AI Mode search. There is potential because you may go from asking a basic question to doing your research and making a purchase. Everything happens in the same window. Traditionally, it may have taken a long time because you would have had to visit all the websites in question to arrive at an answer. Further, traditional websites don’t always update articles with the latest information.

The new search mode uses a “query fan out” technique in which your query is broken down into many parts, but you won’t get to see the breakup. All you see are relevant results, all put together like a summary.

Like ChatGPT, you can go back and forth while asking queries, which makes it a friendly tool.

Are AI Mode search results correct?

If what you have asked AI Mode is a general query, the chances of the answers being correct are high, but once you get into specifics, like ‘suggest the best places in Calcutta to buy gramophone needles for my 1978 Pioneer turntable’, things are on shaky ground. You may either get a few results, outdated search results or just a general overview that may not be of much use.

The feature is in the testing phase, but as more AI Mode is used, the chances of it improving increase.

You can’t trust the results when it comes to topics like politics, health, finance or legal advice. You don’t want to be in a soup by taking help from AI-generated results. What it can do is offer a few suggestions, and then you can explore those. Also, AI tools keep learning from new data, and even though Google claims it anonymises inputs, how far can you trust a Big Tech company? Be cautious when it comes to feeding personal questions, like mental health or personal finances.

How do you use it?

The feature was first available in the US and can now be accessed in India. It is part of Search Labs. Key in ‘Search Labs’ on Chrome browser and visit the page to subscribe to the feature.

Can you benefit?

If you are a student in a hurry and some research needs to be done, AI Mode can be of help, but the question you need to ask yourself is: Is it ethical to make AI complete homework?

What are the ways to search?

At the moment, there are three ways — the new AI mode, traditional Google search box with AI answer summaries, and the Google chatbot, Gemini. There is also a fourth way, which has immense potential: Point the phone camera at an object and ask what you see on the screen. For example, the new shirt your colleague is wearing is turning heads in the office.

What’s the AI model?

Using a custom version of Gemini 2.5, Google says it is letting you ask nuanced questions that would have previously required multiple searches. Early testers of AI Mode are asking much longer queries — 2-3x the length of traditional searches — showing that “people are already using it for their toughest questions”.