Google Search is making it easier to ask follow-up questions
What's the story
Google is testing a new feature that combines its AI Overviews with the AI Mode in Search. The update will let users dig deeper into a topic or question by asking follow-up questions in a conversational interface. This comes as Gemini, Google's generative AI model, has grown to over 650 million monthly active users (MAUs).
Enhanced interaction
AI Mode: A conversational feature for deeper searches
The conversational feature, dubbed AI Mode, was first made available to US users in May and globally in August. It allows back-and-forth chats with Google's Gemini AI, similar to ChatGPT. However, accessing this experience required users to anticipate their search queries beforehand. If they were looking for a quick answer or traditional search query, they would stick with the usual search box input.
User experience
Google's new test aims to simplify information seeking
Google is now testing whether it makes sense to combine these two experiences. The company says the new test will let users "seamlessly go deeper" in AI Mode directly from the Search results page. The feature is currently being rolled out globally but is only available on mobile devices for now. This comes as OpenAI, a competitor of Google, is delaying other products to focus on improving its chatbox experience.
Product vision
Google aims to streamline search experience with AI
Robby Stein, Google's VP of Product for Search, said in a post on X that users shouldn't have to think about where or how to ask their question. He explained that users will still get an AI Overview as a starting point but can then ask any conversational follow-up questions in AI Mode from the same screen.