I’ll admit it: I approached Google’s new AI Mode with a healthy dose of skepticism. As a writer, the idea of AI potentially taking over the research process feels a bit… threatening. But after trying it, I have to say, I’m impressed.
What Exactly is Google’s AI Mode?
Before getting into my personal experience with Google’s AI Mode, a little context is in order. Google has been layering on AI features to its search products, so it’s easy to get them mixed up. In my view, AI Mode is the most comprehensive of the bunch. It’s like a combination of the AI Overview and the Gemini chatbot, but it’s neither of those things precisely. AI Mode runs on a search-specific version of Google’s Gemini 2.0 model. This means you can ask complex, multi-step questions and receive detailed, comprehensive answers that pull from Google’s vast search index.
Like the standard AI Overview, AI Mode provides a detailed summary to address your query. The interface feels familiar, breaking down your search topic into bullet points sourced from the web.
Unlike the standard AI Overview, however, which often incorporates quotes and paraphrasing, AI Mode creates its own summary from scratch, moving away from the sources. It’s a blend of search engine and chatbot, and, thankfully, it hasn’t told me to pour glue on my pizza, yet.
From a chatbot perspective, AI Mode makes it easy to ask questions and add follow-ups to your conversation without losing context. Unlike Gemini Live, which walks you through the entire interaction, Google’s AI Mode is just a vessel for information, skipping the conversational tone to provide a lot of data quickly.
However, there are a few requirements for trying Google’s AI Mode. It’s currently a Search Labs experiment (you can sign up for the waitlist here), so there’s a waiting list for access. You’ll also want to be subscribed to Google One AI Premium (meaning you have to pay for Gemini Advanced), to get the first crack at it. The subscription costs $20 per month. You don’t need Google One AI Premium to get on the list, but paid subscribers will be prioritized. Fortunately the subscription comes with perks like access to NotebookLM Plus, 2TB of Google One storage, and access to Gemini in your Google Workspace programs, so the monthly fee may still be worthwhile, even if you have to wait for access.
Is It Any Good?
Now that you have a basic understanding of how Google’s new search tool works, let’s dive into whether or not it’s any good. I’ll be honest: I hoped it wouldn’t be. I am a writer whose work contributes to Google’s search results, and, for AI Mode to generate answers on its own with less of a link back to the original sources, well, it doesn’t sit right with me. I’ve come to terms with the fact that it is probably still helpful for people who don’t want to spend chunks of their day doing research. Even so, I don’t have to like it.
To give Google’s new search tool a proper test, I decided to use AI Mode to look for information outside of my usual areas of expertise. I have a seven-on-seven soccer season starting soon, and it felt like a good time to research tactics. I watch a lot of professional soccer, but that is a much different game than running up and down a field that’s a third of the size of a high school football field.
So I opened the Google app on my Pixel 9 Pro, went to the AI Mode (which has its own tab), and typed, “How do tactics for small-sided soccer differ from 11-on-11 and which formations work best?” Within a few seconds, Google had pulled information from 27 sites (AI Mode tells you how many sites it uses) and split my answer into two sections: one for tactical differences and one for formations, as well as how to select an appropriate formation. If I were a youth soccer coach, this probably would have saved me from a cascade of angry parent emails. Rather than dealing with that, I’m simply trying to avoid looking silly while yelling instructions to my friends.
Although AI Mode’s results weren’t perfect — the detailed explanation defaulted to five-on-five formations instead of the seven-on-seven setup my team requires — that was as much my fault as Google’s. Luckily, since AI Mode feels more like a chatbot than a standard Google search, I could tailor my follow-up question for the correct number of players. The results of that query — which referenced 34 more sources — helped me understand the game and choose from a few basic formations, depending on whether my crew wants to attack or defend. AI Mode also included tips on developing effective training sessions for my team, which would have been perfect if I weren’t juggling the schedules of over a dozen working adults.
I don’t know how long that research would have taken me manually. But I can say this: it would have required multiple Google searches. I’d likely have gone to one site for the tactical differences, another for formations, and a third for practice tips. Instead AI Mode put the information I required in one place; boiled it down into bullet points; and gave me a helpful link or two. As a writer, I hate to admit it, but as an amateur soccer coach with a hectic schedule, AI Mode is excellent.
