AI Mode is live for millions of users, but it’s intentionally separate from the core Google Search page – at least for now. And any AI Mode features that are successful will migrate to the main Google Search experience, according to Alphabet/Google CEO Sundar Pichai.
- “Our current plan is AI Mode is going to be there as a separate tab for people who really want to experience that, but it’s not yet at the level there, our main search pages. But as features work will keep migrating it to the main page, and so you can view it as a continuum. AI Mode will offer you the bleeding edge experience, but things that work will keep overflowing to AI Overviews and the main experience,” Pichai told Lex Fridman during episode 471 of his podcast.
Why we care. Based on what Pichai said, it sounds like AI Mode will be more of a place where Google tests new features. Those things that work will become part of AI Overviews and the main search experience.
AI is a layer. AI Mode builds on Search – it doesn’t replace it, according to Pichai.
- “Think of the AI as a layer,” Pichai said. “It’s giving you context, summary… doing multiple searches, kind of assembling that knowledge in a way so that you can go and consume what you want to.”
In both AI Mode and AI Overviews, links remain essential, he said.
- “When you come to Google Search… you’re going to go and find a lot of things out on the web. That will be true in AI Mode, in AI Overviews, and so on.”
AI Mode ads. Google is testing ads in AI Mode. Pichai said the focus now is more on the organic experience.
- “The fundamental value of ads [is that] it enables access to deploy the services to billions of people.”
Pichai called ads “commercial information,” and said they’ll be introduced in ways that match the new AI-driven interface:
- “AI itself will help us, over time, figure out the best way to do it. … but I think the underlying need of people value commercial information, businesses are trying to connect to users.”
Two webs? Pichai sees a future with two webs:
- The “human” web: For us.
- The “agentic” web: For AI tools.
- “I expect the web to get a lot richer, and more interesting, and better to use. “At the same time, there’ll be an agentic web… but I think both will coexist,” he said
The interview. Sundar Pichai: CEO of Google and Alphabet | Lex Fridman Podcast #471