Media reporting shows that Google began testing this feature in March, after AI Overviews has been active on the site for over a year. AI Overviews was said to have 1.5 billion users a year ago, so it’s likely that AI Mode will have quite a few people taking the model’s responses, rather than clicking through hyperlinks.

At last year's I/O conference, Google introduced AI Overviews, which have driven a major shift in Google search and in the internet's information environment at large. AI Mode promises an even deeper, more chatbot-like experience right in the search bar.