Adapted by:
Javier Márquez
WriterI've been in media for over a decade, but I've been marveling at the possibilities that technology brings us much longer. I believe we live in a world where the digital revolution is changing everything and that Xataka is the best place to write about it.
Karen Alfaro
WriterCommunications professional with a decade of experience as a copywriter, proofreader, and editor. As a travel and science journalist, I've collaborated with several print and digital outlets around the world. I'm passionate about culture, music, food, history, and innovative technologies.
Google Search is no longer just a search engine. With its latest experiment, the company is turning it into a full-fledged digital assistant that can not only search—but also compare, decide, fill out forms, and even complete payments on your behalf.
The change comes through a new feature called AI Mode, which Google is calling “the most powerful AI search experience” to date. For now, it’s being rolled out to a small group of users in the U.S.
Until recently, using Google Search meant typing in a query and receiving a list of links—or, more recently, an AI-generated overview. AI Mode flips that model. Instead of simply offering results, it takes action.
Say you type, “Find two affordable tickets for this Saturday’s Reds game in the lower tier.” AI Mode doesn’t just display ticketing sites. It launches multiple simultaneous sub-queries, a technique known as query fan-out, and analyzes the results in real time. The goal is to present a list of options tailored to your preferences—price, date, seat location—without requiring you to refine the search manually.
Google’s Search Engine Is Changing (and a Lot)
According to Google, this new approach caters to power users who want a more complete and personalized experience. AI Mode can adjust search criteria on the fly—modifying price limits, refining seating preferences, and changing availability filters in real time.
Once a user selects a product or service, AI Mode can handle the rest: filling out forms, inputting personal information, and completing payments via Google Pay. Initially, this feature is rolling out in the U.S. for tasks like buying event tickets, making restaurant reservations, and booking local appointments, in partnership with platforms including Ticketmaster, StubHub, Resy, and Vagaro.
While the rollout has begun, full access remains limited. Most features are still in testing through Google Labs and available only to a small group of users in North America. Google says some tools may be extended to a “limited percentage” of users outside Labs.
But AI Mode isn’t just about shopping. It includes Deep Search, which generates hundreds of behind-the-scenes queries to cross-reference data and produce expert-level, citable reports in minutes. It also supports Search Live, a feature that uses a phone’s camera to resolve real-world visual queries instantly. Additionally, Google has expanded tools to create interactive graphs from complex datasets—especially useful in areas like sports and finance.
Meanwhile, the company continues to expand AI Overviews, its AI-generated summary system introduced at I/O 2024. It’s now available in more than 200 countries and over 40 languages, with recent support added for Arabic, Chinese, and Malay.
The direction is clear: Google Search is evolving beyond the traditional “type and browse” model. Google envisions a future where users simply express what they want, and an AI assistant handles the rest—surfacing results, taking action, and delivering outcomes. Still, the company maintains that user control will remain central throughout the experience.
Image | Firmbee.com (Unsplash)
Related | The Way You Search Online Is Over. Google’s AI Mode Doesn’t Just Deliver Results—It Converses
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