Google is moving its experimental AI Mode out of the lab and into the real world. Beginning in the coming weeks, a small percentage of U.S. users will see a new AI Mode tab. Instead of a list of links, AI Mode delivers a conversational answer generated from Google’s index, effectively turning Search into a Gemini‑powered chatbot.
This is not the AI Overview that already appears atop some results pages. AI Mode runs in a separate view, remembers prior queries (in a left‑side history panel), and surfaces visual cards showing hours, reviews, and live prices for businesses and products. It is Google’s direct response to Perplexity and ChatGPT’s search features.
Google is also dropping the Labs waitlist, opening the door for any U.S. user who opts in. It lands as OpenAI, Microsoft, and a swarm of AI‑native upstarts recast the search bar as a natural‑language front end to the internet.
As you well know, search revenue depends on clicks to partner sites; AI Mode inserts Google’s answer ahead of those links. Expect louder publisher pushback and renewed antitrust chatter. For marketers, the takeaway is simpler: organic SEO tactics built on blue links will erode. Prepare content for zero‑click, AI‑generated summaries and embrace structured data.
Google just took a page from its challengers and put a chatbot where its cash register lives. If the experiment scales, the definition of “search result” will change again. The Age of Answer Engines is upon us.
As always, your thoughts and comments are welcome. ‑s
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named LinkedIn’s “Top Voice in Technology,” he covers tech and business for Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular daily business blog. He's a bestselling author, and the creator of the popular, free online course, Generative AI for Execs. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.
