Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google is working on a new shortcut for the Pixel Launcher’s search bar that opens the new AI Mode in Google Search.
- AI Mode is an upcoming feature of the Google Search app that’ll let you interact with Search more conversationally.
- The shortcut will reside to the left of the microphone and Lens icons.
To ensure its core Google Search product doesn’t fall behind competitors, Google is working to infuse generative AI into Search. This started with the introduction of AI Overviews in Search, which uses generative AI to summarize search results. Generative AI chatbots like Google’s own Gemini offer a far more conversational experience than Google Search, so to bridge that gap, Google is readying a new “AI Mode” for Google Search. We now have an early look at how Google will let you access this AI search mode right from your Pixel phone’s home screen.
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Google Search’s upcoming AI Mode is currently being tested internally by employees, and thanks to a leak, we have an idea about how it will work. The feature is apparently powered by a custom version of Gemini 2.0 with “advanced reasoning and thinking capabilities” that’s designed to accommodate more open-ended and exploratory questions, such as those that ask Google for advice on something or to compare things. In addition, the feature will allow you to ask follow-up questions, so you can request that Google bring up more information or expand upon part of its answer.
Thanks to 9to5Google’s leak, we have an idea of how AI Mode might be accessed on PCs. It seems that there’s going to be a new AI Mode chip up top next to Search’s usual Image, News, Shopping, etc. filters. Clicking it launches an interface where an AI-generated answer replaces the usual results. Some relevant links are still shown off to the side, but they’re not nearly as prominent as they currently are in Search. Lastly, at the bottom is a text box where you can ask follow-up questions.
Although the leak didn’t showcase what AI Mode will look like on Android phones, we at least know how it will be accessed. There will be a shortcut within the Google Search app itself that lets you flip between the regular search mode and AI mode, and there will also be a shortcut that you can add to the Google Search widget.
The search widget at the bottom of the Pixel Launcher on Pixel phones isn’t actually part of the Google Search app, though, so Google needs to update it separately to add a shortcut for AI Mode. That’s exactly what the company is preparing to do, with the second beta of Android 16 adding an icon for AI Mode and code that specifies its placement on the Pixel Launcher’s search bar. Here’s the aforementioned icon for Google’s AI Mode that I extracted from the Pixel Launcher in Android 16 Beta 2:
Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
And here’s a mockup of what the Pixel Launcher’s search bar will look like once the AI Mode shortcut goes live:
Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
We don’t know when Google will launch its new AI Mode for Google Search, but we’ll likely see it before the end of the year. Are you looking forward to this new AI Mode feature? Let us know in the comments below!
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