Google AI Mode: What It Is and How to Turn It On
What Google AI Mode is, how to open it (AI Mode tab or google.com/aimode), how it differs from AI Overviews, and what it means for brand visibility
What is AI Mode?
AI Mode is Google Search's conversational deep-search mode, presented as a dedicated interaction surface rather than a standard result list. It runs on Gemini, breaks a complex question into sub-queries (query fan-out), and answers in a cited, conversational format that you can keep refining with follow-up questions.
How to turn on AI Mode
- AI Mode tab — on Google Search, open the "AI Mode" tab next to Web, Images, and News.
- Direct URL — go to google.com/aimode.
- From an AI Overview — on mobile, tap "Show more" under an AI Overview to continue in AI Mode.
Availability depends on your country, language, and account settings. If the tab does not appear, check the current rollout on Google's official help page rather than a third-party list — published country counts differ between sources.
How is it different from AI Overviews?
AI Overviews summarize at the top of standard results, while AI Mode supports follow-up dialog and broader context expansion.
Product implication
Retention, follow-up action flow, and writing/planning integrations become as important as answer quality itself. For brands, the sources AI Mode cites in its answers are a visibility surface of their own — see the Google AI Mode optimization guide.
Related Terms
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