Google Search has offered the same interface to users for decades but the AI era is going to make a big change soon.
Google is making changes to its famous search page by testing a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) feature that might replace the I’m Feeling Lucky button. For many years, this button has taken users straight to a top website related to their search without showing the usual list of results. Now, the tech giant is testing AI Mode to make searching smarter and faster.
Some users have already noticed two different designs for this new feature on the Google homepage. In one version, the I’m Feeling Lucky button is completely replaced by the AI Mode button. In another version, the AI Mode is added as a small shortcut right inside the search bar, while the original buttons stay below it.
In a conversation with The Verge, Google spokesperson Ashley Thompson confirmed that the new feature is real. However, she explained that it is only available to users who are part of Google’s experimental Labs program for now. She said, “We often test different ways for people to access our helpful features. This is just one of many experiments.”
As per Google, “With the AI Mode experiment in Google Search, you can ask anything and get a helpful AI-powered response with the ability to explore further with follow-up questions and helpful web links.”
“This experience is particularly helpful for queries where deeper exploration, reasoning, or comparisons are needed. This experiment relies on Google Search’s deep understanding of web information, meaning that responses are supported by high-quality web sources to improve factuality.”
“As with any early-stage AI product, AI Mode doesn’t always get it right. For example, in some cases, this experiment may misinterpret web content or miss context, as can happen with any automated system in Search. When this does happen, we encourage you to give feedback through thumbs up / thumbs down so we can continuously improve,” the team added.
Explaining how people can use the new AI Mode, Google mentioned that users can type, speak or even upload pictures to ask questions and they’ll get answers powered by AI. If they want to know more about the same topic, they can keep asking related questions without starting over.
The mode also helps users learn more deeply by pulling information from different websites. Another helpful feature is that it remembers past questions, so users can continue where they stopped earlier.
We still don’t know when Google will fully make the move the AI Mode. But knowing its history, Google could play it safe by keeping both the options on the table so that people who like the old version can continue doing so.
