Google has changed its search bar on the Google home page by adding the ability to upload a file or an image, and then the user experience takes you directly to AI Mode.
This is different from uploading an image and Google taking you to Google Search with image results and Google Lens features. Instead, this upload feature takes you into the AI Mode experience.
What it looks like. Here is a video I made of the searcher’s flow:
More AI Mode. Google continues to push searchers away from Google Search’s traditional search results, including AI Overviews, and directly into AI Mode. This includes Google most recently pushing searchers from AI Overviews into AI Mode, adding AI Mode to the Chrome omnibox, having the AI Mode tab always on the left and many more examples.
We once reported that Google would make AI Mode the default search experience, but Google told us no, we were wrong. It does seem like this is indeed the direction Google is headed.
Why we care. Again, if Google AI Mode is the place Google sends searchers to, that experience is very different than the normal search results on Google.com. Searchers are less likely to click from the AI Mode result than the traditional Google Search results.
So make sure to check out how you rank and are cited within AI Mode and set your expectations for that new experience.