Google Introduces AI Mode in the UK

Both hyped and feared, the introduction of AI mode by Google was no doubt a significant moment in the rollout of AI integration to the wider consumer market. Back in March, Google first announced its intention to expand the presence of AI Overviews and to create a whole new search experience powered by AI.

After more months of testing in the US and India - no doubt with fears around the more regulated UK market’s response to such a big change in their search ecosystem, Google has finally launched it here too. AI Mode isn’t just another Featured Snippet or widget that will appear in the existing Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) - it’s a fundamentally different way for users to find information.

Credit: Google

What does AI Mode actually do?

AI overviews was an easy introduction to the Google approach to AI search. It summarised and synthesised the web in a way that presented accessible (if not always accurate) responses to user queries. The goal with AI mode it seems is to expand on this approach and develop a more robust and dynamic user experience for those of us willing to embrace the potential for hallucination (including infamous recommendations to put glue on pizza and eat rocks). 

The new AI mode will appear as an alternative search filter next to where the existing Images, Videos, News and other filters sit. Launching into a new view, AI mode will perform multiple searches to support the initial query and from there, summarise the results into a full-page experience. Concerns around traffic for publishers from AI Overviews are likely to grow as AI mode continues to prioritise fast answers and reducing the need to click through onto websites. 

Behind the scenes Google is using their query fan-out technique to break user questions into lots of other supporting searches all on behalf of the user - with the goal of reducing the need to submit a follow-up question. It also operates in a ‘multimodal’ way, meaning you can search with voice or images or even through your camera.

What does this mean for businesses?

While AI Overviews has already had a significant impact on organic clicks, reducing the amount of traffic coming through for high-ranking content that has been moved below an AI-generated summary, AI Mode is likely to have less of an immediate effect. Instead of integrating (or interrupting depending on your point of view) with users’ existing behaviours like AI Overviews, AI Mode operates as a traditional search alternative - launched as an opt-in experience through the SERPs we currently use.

It’s likely that Paid Media activity will continue to see shifts in performance too as AI Overviews push paid results down the SERPs and AI Mode draws users away from results. The greatest difference here is that Google’s core business model relies on ad revenue, which means they have a vested interest in ensuring that businesses can continue to drive ROI on their platforms. 

In the long-term we might see user behaviours shift and AI mode become a preference, especially for queries where the answer can be summarised neatly and succinctly. The Default Bias that Google currently enjoys is likely to lend them an unfair advantage in converting users onto AI-powered search platforms, where competitors like Perplexity have had to fight for market share and visibility.

That shift could be accelerated by Google themselves, though, as there are no guarantees that the current implementation will be the eternal home of AI Mode. Google have talked about optimising for the ‘Delphic costs’ of search - those non-monetary costs that come with finding information and the friction that finding it causes. If they can find a way to give users faster and more convenient results, history tells us it’s likely that they’ll deploy it. 

Although it’s still not yet a priority - visibility in AI platforms is increasingly top-of-mind for businesses looking to the future of search. Ensuring content and brand mentions are easily digested by AI engines, as well as monitoring and influencing what they say, is going to become an inherent part of digital marketing for any business that wants to remain relevant.

Beware of over-committing too soon though, as Google themselves have poured water on the fire of ‘tricks’ like the use of an LLMs.txt file - the foundation of AI visibility is still a strong grasp of the fundamentals and a solid SEO strategy.