Google launches AI Mode search feature for all in India

Photo: Reuters

Google has started a new feature called AI Mode for all users in India. This happened just two weeks after they launched it as an experiment. India is the first country outside the United States where Google is giving this feature to everyone.

Why Did Google Create AI Mode?

AI Mode is part of Google’s plan to stay ahead of other companies like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Perplexity. These companies are becoming popular because people now prefer getting direct and clear answers instead of clicking many links on the internet. Google first announced AI Mode in March this year. They gave it to all users in the United States in May. Now, Indian users will also get it.

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How Can You Use AI Mode?

When you search on Google, you will see a special AI Mode tab. You can ask questions that are longer, detailed, or complicated – questions that earlier needed many searches to get the full answer. During Google’s big event called Google I/O 2025 in May, CEO Sundar Pichai said that people using AI Mode asked questions that were two to five times longer than normal search queries.

AI Mode will soon be available on the Google app search bar too. According to Hema Budaraju, Vice President of product management for Google Search, there are many ways to use AI Mode. You can:

• Type your question

• Speak your question

• Click a photo using Google Lens and ask questions about it

When you do this, Google’s AI Mode gives you a clear, detailed answer with links to explore more if you want.

Why is India Important for AI Mode?

Budaraju shared that India uses voice and visual search a lot. In fact, India is the top country for Google Lens use every month. People in India like clicking photos to search for something and also speaking to Google instead of typing.

She said that the feedback so far has been very good. Users are happy with how fast and detailed the answers are. Many people use AI Mode for:

• Learning deeply about a topic

• Understanding difficult “how-to” questions easily

She also said that Google learns a lot from how Indian users ask questions. For example, Indians often mix voice and visuals in their searches. They use the camera to ask about what they see in real life, and Google finds this inspiring.

How Does AI Mode Actually Work?

Google’s AI Mode uses powerful AI models to give answers. It combines information from:

• Google’s Knowledge Graph

• Real-time data

• Shopping data about billions of products

It uses a method called “query fan-out.” This means it breaks your question into smaller parts and searches for answers to each part at the same time. Then it combines these answers into one simple and clear response.

The system is powered by Gemini 2.5, a special AI model made for AI Mode. Last year, Google launched a similar feature called AI Overviews, which gave a quick summary of topics along with links for further reading. AI Mode builds upon that idea to give even better results.

New Features Coming Soon

During Google I/O 2025, the company also announced new upcoming features in AI Mode:

Deep Search

• It will search hundreds of times to understand a topic deeply.

• It will read information from different places and give you a full expert-level report within minutes.

• This will be helpful for students and professionals who want deep knowledge quickly.

Interactive Charts for Data

AI Mode will soon be able to read complex data sets and make interactive charts for you. It will first start with finance and sports topics. For example:

• If you ask about the performance of a company, it can show its financial data in a clear chart.

• If you ask about a cricket team’s statistics, it can make a table with all details.

AI Agent Features

Google plans to add AI agent capabilities from its Project Mariner. This means AI Mode will soon help you with:

• Booking event tickets

• Making restaurant reservations

• Booking local appointments

Search Live

Another upcoming feature is Search Live. This will use Project Astra’s technology, allowing people to:

• Talk back and forth with Google Search in real-time

• Use their camera to show something and ask questions about it instantly

For example, if you see a plant and want to know its name and care tips, you can simply open the camera and start a live conversation with Google.

More Personalised Experience

Google is also working on making searches more personalised. Soon, it will give suggestions based on your past searches. If you allow, it can also connect with your other Google apps like Gmail to recommend better results for you.

Shopping Experience with AI Mode

Google is making online shopping easier with AI Mode. Using AI Mode, you can:

• Browse products with suggestions matching your taste

• Upload your photo to virtually try on clothes

• Use an agentic checkout feature that will buy things for you using Google Pay

These shopping features will be available later this year under Google’s Search Labs programme.

Competition with OpenAI

Google’s rival OpenAI also started offering product recommendations through ChatGPT in April this year. Their recommendations show:

• Product images

• Prices

• Reviews

• Direct links to buy

Focus on Quality and Safety

Google faced some problems earlier with AI Overviews giving wrong or funny answers that went viral. This time, they want to make sure AI Mode is safe and accurate. Budaraju said that their top priority is maintaining quality, trust, and safety. They are using strong spam controls and safety systems to check the answers before showing them to users.

What About Website Owners?

Many web publishers are worried that if Google answers everything directly, people will not visit their websites. A research firm named Gartner says that by 2026, the traffic to websites from search engines will go down by 25 percent because of AI answers.

But Google says it is still sending billions of visits to websites and they will continue to support websites while improving their AI search experiences.

Google’s new AI Mode is a big step towards changing how people search online. It will help Indian users ask any type of question in their own style, using text, voice, or photos. It makes learning, shopping, and understanding complex topics easier and faster. At the same time, Google is focusing on keeping its answers accurate and safe for everyone. As AI Mode keeps improving with features like Deep Search, AI agents, and Search Live, it will bring even more powerful tools to daily internet users across India.