Amid rising competition in online search, led by an expanding array of AI options, Google has today announced its own, more complex search process, which will enable users to pose multi-part questions that’ll be answered by its latest Gemini models.
As you can see in this example, today, Google is launching “AI Mode” in initial public testing, which will enable users to ask questions, submit follow-up queries, and more, all within a single stream.
As explained by Google:
“[AI Mode] expands what AI Overviews can do with more advanced reasoning, thinking and multimodal capabilities, so you can get help with even your toughest questions. You can ask anything on your mind and get a helpful AI-powered response with the ability to go further with follow-up questions and helpful web links.”
Google says that the process uses a custom version of Gemini 2.0 which is more helpful for questions that need further exploration, comparisons and reasoning.
“You can ask nuanced questions that might have previously taken multiple searches – like exploring a new concept or comparing detailed options – and get a helpful AI-powered response with links to learn more.”
As noted, the process replicates the capacity of other AI models, which are becoming increasingly popular, and are gradually eating into Google’s market share. Indeed, ChatGPT is steadily rising as a search and discovery alternative, while newer AI tools like DeepSeek offer expanded functionality that exceeds Google’s own capacity in some respects.
But Google still holds a significant lead in online discovery, both in terms of access and experience. And as such, it should be able to fend off competitors with its own AI tools, and improved experiences through the same.
Which is why it’s also building in more and more AI Overviews, with U.S. Google searchers now also able to get additional AI guidance on queries relating to coding, advanced math, and multimodal questions.
“With Gemini 2.0’s advanced capabilities, we provide faster and higher quality responses and show AI Overviews more often for these types of queries. Plus, we’re rolling out to more people: teens can now use AI Overviews, and you’ll no longer need to sign in to get access.”
Again, Google has the experience, and the knowledge base to fend off competition. And with more than a billion people already using its AI overviews, it also has a huge pool of examples to refine and improve its results.
That should ensure that The Big G remains the top dog in search, through enhanced experiences, and more accurate results, that will eventually beat out the competition.
Maybe.
The latest AI models are impressive, and there is a chance that this could also become a much bigger problem for Google over time, if it can’t innovate as fast, or provide the same level of experience as other apps.
I would still be betting on Google long-term, but it is interesting to see how other apps are evolving, and looking to beat out the incumbent with advanced discovery features.
