Listen to this Post
A New Chapter in
Google has officially introduced its most advanced search experience—AI Mode—to Indian users via Google Labs, marking a major shift in how search is experienced in the region. The feature, powered by a custom version of Gemini 2.5, allows users to engage in deep, layered conversations with AI, going far beyond traditional keyword-based queries. Already rolled out successfully in the United States, this experimental tool is now tailored to India’s digital behavior, especially its high reliance on voice and image-based search.
The timing of this launch is strategic. With India’s mobile-first user base and widespread smartphone penetration, the country offers fertile ground for testing complex, multimodal search tools. The new AI Mode supports text, voice, and image input, delivering AI-generated responses enriched with web links, summaries, and follow-up suggestions—effectively redefining how users explore the internet.
AI Mode Redefines Search Experience: the Launch
Google has introduced AI Mode for Search in India, extending its most sophisticated AI search feature to a critical and growing market. Now available in English via Google Labs, AI Mode uses a tailored version of Gemini 2.5 to handle multi-layered, complex questions. Users can now access comprehensive responses that link directly to web sources, complete with context-driven suggestions and the ability to continue the search in a conversational flow.
This rollout follows a successful U.S. debut, where Google noted users started entering queries that were 2–3 times longer than conventional search inputs—proof of increased reliance on AI-driven thinking. The feature is especially useful for exploratory tasks such as trip planning, product comparisons, and in-depth research, which traditionally required several separate searches.
India’s growing preference for voice and visual search significantly influenced the platform’s design. The AI Mode incorporates Google Lens and voice command features, catering to the diverse linguistic and literacy needs of India’s vast internet user base. A key technical breakthrough in this launch is Google’s “query fan-out” method, where a complex query is broken into smaller pieces and simultaneously processed across multiple data sets. This ensures users receive hyper-specific, real-time answers across topics.
This development builds on the success of AI Overviews, Google’s first AI search layer, which now sees 1.5 billion monthly users. That earlier version increased engagement in markets like India by over 10%. Now, with AI Mode offering enhanced reasoning, multimodal access, and more intuitive search pathways, the company aims to expand content discovery while maintaining high quality and factual reliability.
What Undercode Say:
Google’s move to roll out AI Mode in India isn’t just a feature update—it’s a calculated tech and market strategy. Here’s what makes this significant:
1. India as a Testbed for AI-driven Search
India’s user base offers unique insights:
2. Reinventing Search from Queries to Conversations
AI Mode shifts search from being input-driven to intent-driven. Users no longer need to structure queries around keywords. Instead, they can ask naturally—like “Plan me a 3-day trip to Kerala with low-budget hotels and historical sites”—and receive structured, source-linked answers. This conversational model is a leap toward contextual intelligence, setting the stage for a more intuitive internet.
3. Multimodality as an Inclusion Strategy
In a multilingual country like India, multimodality
4. The Competitive Edge
This launch also represents a counterpunch to competitors like Microsoft’s Bing AI or local platforms integrating generative AI. Google is reasserting its dominance by emphasizing not only better responses but better search journeys—ones that guide, iterate, and link back to the broader web.
5. Implications for SEO and Content Discovery
For publishers and creators, AI Mode introduces a new paradigm. Content is no longer just ranked—it’s parsed, cited, and synthesized into AI responses. Those who want to stay visible in this new format will need to prioritize clarity, structure, and factual depth in their content. Google’s emphasis on “core ranking systems” and factuality layers suggests it’s trying to balance AI synthesis with trustworthiness and source attribution.
6. Real-Time Data + Reasoning = Futureproof Search
AI Mode doesn’t operate in a vacuum. It pulls data from live sources including the Knowledge Graph and shopping feeds for billions of products. Combined with Gemini 2.5’s logic capabilities, this makes for a smarter assistant that evolves with the web, not just summarizes it.
🔍 Fact Checker Results:
✅ Google’s claim of 1.5 billion users for AI Overviews aligns with public statements from Google I/O 2024.
✅ India is confirmed as the top user of Google Lens globally, based on internal metrics released last year.
❌ No independent data currently confirms a 2-3x increase in query length outside Google’s own reporting.
📊 Prediction:
By 2026, AI Mode is likely to become the default search interface in India and other mobile-heavy regions, replacing standard search for over 40% of queries. Voice and image-based inputs will account for a significant majority of interactions in Tier-2 and Tier-3 Indian cities, thanks to rising smartphone use and regional language support. Furthermore, as Gemini evolves, AI Mode may integrate with Assistant, Maps, and Shopping, turning Google into a unified decision-making platform—an AI concierge, not just a search engine.
References:
Reported By: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Extra Source Hub:
https://stackoverflow.com
Wikipedia
OpenAi & Undercode AI
Image Source:
Unsplash
Undercode AI DI v2