Since the launch of its search engine, Google has continuously evolved it to improve the relevance and quality of search results. Today, it is leveraging its advancements in GenAI, particularly its Gemini 2 model, to transform online search. The AI Overviews are upgraded thanks to the LLM while Google announces the experimentation of "AI Mode" for more complex queries.
In May 2024, the Mountain View company deployed AI Overviews in the United States with a Gemini model customized for search. This feature is now used by more than a billion people. Thanks to the improved performance of Gemini 2, it can now respond to more complex queries, particularly in coding, advanced mathematics, and multimodal search, and do so more quickly.
AI Mode: A New Search Experience
According to Robby Stein, Vice President of Products, Google Search, "This new search mode expands what AI overviews can do with more advanced reasoning, reflection, and multimodal capabilities, so you can get help even for your most challenging questions."
It would be particularly useful for questions requiring in-depth exploration, comparisons, and nuanced reasoning.
Also powered by an optimized Gemini 2.0 model, with access to real-time sources and information, AI Mode relies on a "query fan-out" technique. The AI launches multiple searches simultaneously on different topics related to the question posed, using various data sources, then compiles the results of these searches to provide a structured response with hyperlinks to the cited web pages.
Users can, if they wish, refine their searches with follow-up queries.
The initial tests of AI Mode have, according to Robby Stein, shown very positive results, with users appreciating the speed, quality, and freshness of the responses. He invites Google One AI Premium subscribers to experiment with it in Labs. Google plans to improve the tool based on feedback and add new features such as visual responses with images and videos.