Google's unleashes ‘AI Mode’ in the next phase of its journey to change search

Google on Tuesday unleashed another wave of artificial intelligence technology to accelerate a year-long makeover of its search engine that is changing the way people get information and curtailing the flow of internet traffic to websites.

The next phase outlined at Google's annual developers conference includes releasing a new “AI mode” option in the United States. The feature makes interacting with Google's search engine more like having a conversation with an expert capable of answering questions on just about any topic imaginable.

AI mode is being offered to all comers in the U.S. just two-and-a-half-months after the company began testing with a limited Labs division audience.

Google is also feeding its latest AI model, Gemini 2.5, into its search algorithms and will soon begin testing other AI features, such as the ability to automatically buy concert tickets and conduct searches through live video feeds.

In another example of Google's all-in approach to AI, the company revealed it is planning to leverage the technology to re-enter the smart glasses market with a new pair of Android XR-powered spectacles. The preview of the forthcoming device, which includes a hands-free camera and a voice-powered AI assistant, comes 13 years after the debut of “Google Glass,” a product that the company scrapped after a public backlash over privacy concerns.

Google didn't say when its Android XR glasses will be available or how much they will cost, but disclosed they will be designed in partnership with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker. The glasses will compete against a similar product already on the market from Facebook parent Meta Platforms and Ray-Ban.

The expansion builds upon a transformation that Google began a year ago with the introduction of conversational summaries called “AI overviews” that have been increasingly appearing at the top of its results page and eclipsing its traditional rankings of web links.

About 1.5 billion people now regularly engage with “AI overviews,” according to Google, and most users are now entering longer and more complex queries.

“What all this progress means is that we are in a new phase of the AI platform shift, where decades of research are now becoming reality for people all over the world," Google CEO Sundar Pichai said before a packed crowd in an amphitheater near the company's Mountain View, California, headquarters.

Although Pichai and other Google executives predicted AI overviews would trigger more searches and ultimately more clicks to other sites, it hasn't worked out that way so far, according to the findings of search optimization firm BrightEdge.

Clickthrough rates from Google's search results have declined by nearly 30% during the past year, according to BrightEdge's recently released study, which attributed the decrease to people becoming increasingly satisfied with AI overviews.

The decision to make AI mode broadly available after a relatively short test period reflects Google's confidence that the technology won't habitually spew misinformation that tarnishes its brand's reputation, and acknowledges the growing competition from other AI-powered search options from the likes of ChatGPT and Perplexity.

The rapid rise of AI alternatives emerged as a recurring theme in legal proceedings that could force Google to dismantle parts of its internet empire after a federal judge last year declared its search engine to be an illegal monopoly.

In testimony during a trial earlier this month, longtime Apple executive Eddy Cue said Google searches done through the iPhone maker's Safari browser have been declining because more people are leaning on AI-powered alternatives.

And Google has cited the upheaval being caused by AI's rise as one of the main reasons that it should only be required to make relatively minor changes to the way it operates its search engine because technology already is changing the competitive landscape.

But Google's reliance on more AI so far appears to be enabling its search engine to maintain its mantle as the internet's main gateway — a position that's main reason its corporate parent, Alphabet Inc., boasts a market value of $2 trillion.

During the year ending in March, Google received 136 billion monthly visits, 34 times more than ChatGPT's average of 4 billion monthly visits, according to data compiled by onelittleweb.com.

Even Google's own AI mode acknowledged that the company's search engine seems unlikely to be significantly hurt by the shift to AI technology when a reporter from The Associated Press asked whether its introduction would make the company even more powerful.

“Yes, it is highly likely that Google's AI mode will make Google more powerful, particularly in the realm of information access and online influence,” the AI mode responded. The feature also warns that web publishers should be concerned about AI mode reducing the traffic they get from search results.

Google's upcoming tests in its Labs division foreshadow the next wave of AI technology likely to be made available to the masses.

Besides using its Project Mariner technology to test the ability of an AI agent to buy tickets and book restaurant reservations, Google will also experiment with searches done through live video and an opt-in option to give its AI technology access to people's Gmail and other Google apps so it can learn more about a user's tastes and habits. Other features on this summer's test list include a “Deep Search” option that will use AI to dig even deeper into complex topics and another tool that will produce graphical presentations of sports and finance data.

Google is also introducing its equivalent of a VIP pass to all its AI technology with an “Ultra” subscription package that will cost $250 per month and include 30 terabytes of storage, too. That's a big step beyond Google's previous top-of-the-line package, which is now called "AI “Pro,” that costs $20 per month and includes two terabytes of storage. ——

The Associated Press and Google have a licensing and technology agreement that gives Google’s Gemini AI chatbot access to AP’s news coverage.

Liz Reid, Vice President, Head of Search, speaks at a Google I/O event in Mountain View, Calif., Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Demis Hassabis, Co-Founder and CEO, Google DeepMind, speaks at a Google I/O event in Mountain View, Calif., Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai speaks at a Google I/O event in Mountain View, Calif., Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Nishtha Bhatia, Product Manager at Google, Glasses & AI, bottom left, and Shahram Izadi, Android XR Platform & Products, speak at a Google I/O event in Mountain View, Calif., Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai speaks at a Google I/O event in Mountain View, Calif., Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai speak at a Google I/O event in Mountain View, Calif., Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, right, speaks at a Google I/O event in Mountain View, Calif., Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai speaks at a Google I/O event in Mountain View, Calif., Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai speaks at a Google I/O event in Mountain View, Calif., Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

People pose for photos in front of an I/O logo at a Google I/O event in Mountain View, Calif., Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

BERLIN (AP) — Martin Terrier scored a contender for goal of the season as Bayer Leverkusen defeated local rival Cologne 2-0 in their 73rd Bundesliga derby on Saturday.

Arthur’s cross from the right was behind Terrier, but the French forward dropped down and looped the ball in over Cologne goalkeeper Marvin Schwäbe with the back of his heel to break the deadlock in the 66th minute.

Robert Andrich headed in from Aleix Garcia’s corner six minutes later to seal the win.

Leverkusen was without key players Patrik Schick and Álex Grimaldo but still boasted enough talent to create the greater chances against the visitors, who had injury-enforced absences of their own.

The win kept Leverkusen in fourth place, the last for Champions League qualification.

Ritsu Doan scored for Eintracht Frankfurt to end its four-game winless run across all competitions with a 1-0 win over Augsburg.

The Japan forward took the ball past two Augsburg defenders and unleashed his shot before he was closed down by two more. The deflection from a retreating defender took the ball beyond Finn Dahmen in the Augsburg goal in the 68th minute, setting off relief-tinged celebrations around the stadium.

Noahkai Banks briefly spoiled the mood when he equalized late, but the goal was ruled out for offside after a VAR check. It was the second goal that was ruled out for offside for the visitors in the game.

Frankfurt lost narrowly at Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday, after it was routed 6-0 at home by Leipzig in its previous game.

“The lads tried with all they had left in the tank,” Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmöller said of his team's busy schedule. “They were lacking that bit of freshness. It's been a grueling six months.”

St. Pauli overcame a harsh sending off to end its 10-game winless run with a 2-1 victory over relegation rival Heidenheim.

Pauli had Eric Smith sent off before the break when referee Sören Storks penalized him for a foul on Marvin Pieringer as the last defender, though TV replays showed the Heidenheim forward made the most of light contact and threw himself to the ground. There was no VAR intervention.

Martijn Kaars had already put Pauli ahead, and he stunned the visitors by scoring the second against the run of play early the second half.

Pieringer pulled one back later, but Pauli held on for its third league win of the season.

Wolfsburg’s revival under interim coach Daniel Bauer continued with a 3-1 win at Borussia Mönchengladbach. It stretched the team’s unbeaten run to three games.

Hoffenheim defeated promoted Hamburger SV 4-1 for its fourth straight home win.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Leverkusen's Martim Terrier celebrates after he scored the opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and 1.FC Cologne in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Leverkusen's Martim Terrier celebrates after he scored the opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and 1.FC Cologne in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

St. Pauli's Martijn Kaars celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and 1. FC Heidenheim in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Marcus Brandt/dpa via AP)

Frankfurt's head coach Dino Toppmoeller, left, gives instructions during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Augsburg in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Marc Schueler/dpa via AP)

Frankfurt's Rasmus Kristensen celebrates at the end of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Augsburg in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Marc Schueler/dpa via AP)

Frankfurt's Ritsu Doan, left, and Augsburg's Han-Noah Massengo, right, challenge for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Augsburg in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Marc Schueler/dpa via AP)

Frankfurt's Ritsu Doan celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Augsburg in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Marc Schueler/dpa via AP)