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Bard, Gemini NotebookLM, AI Overviews and now AI Mode. Google’s AI lineup has a lot of moving parts, and they aren’t slowing down. You’re not the only one who is confused by Google’s latest developments. We should have known when the company created Gemini as a smarter AI Chatbot to rival ChatGPT, that there would be many developments. The latest is AI Mode.
Google AI Mode will be launched in public in June 2025. It is available for any device that has Google installed, including desktops and mobiles. Google AI Mode, or Google Search AI Mode, is a feature that the company has integrated into Google Search. It’s designed to answer your query by providing detailed, researched data that is organized in a more structured way. You can use it by switching to the dedicated tab located near the search bar. Once enabled, you will receive more AI-generated search results than a normal search.
You might think that AI Overviews is doing the same thing. Well, not quite. We’ll get there in a minute. Here’s everything you need to know to understand Google AI Mode, including whether it is free to use.
Google AI Mode and Gemini or Overviews are not the same thing
Google Search’s AI mode is the latest addition to the AI future that Google once promised. It has many similarities to Google’s other AI products, but is unique. Google’s Gemini was formerly known as Bard. It is the company’s standalone chatbot that is typically used in conjunction with Google’s AI assistant. AI Overviews, on the other hand, are those summaries that you may see at the tops of some Google search results. They are AI-powered, but not interactive. NotebookLM is designed for note-taking.
The latest AI mode is essentially Google search with AI power. It’s not a standalone chatbot, like Gemini. It shares a platform Google Search. You may have to search through multiple results when searching for something. AI Mode will save you time. It will summarize your results and provide useful links for your search. Google will even help you shop, since it will gather data from billions products to meet your requirements. This is another way to search for information using Google. AI Mode is more interactive as you can ask follow-up queries directly within the search.
AI Mode, powered by Gemini 2.5 is currently free if you own a Google Account. Some features, like AI-generated graphics, are behind a paywall.
