Google introduces AI Mode in India to change the search experience

By Matthew Griffin Intelligence and the Senses 5th July 2025

WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF

Search engines are now becoming Answer engines, turning SEO and discovery on their heads.

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Google Search – with Artificial Intelligence (AI) overviews – is now more of an Answer Engine than a search engine which is just one reason why websites have seen a precipitous 34% drop in traffic as the world of discovery and search is tipped on its head.

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However, when it comes to competing with new upstarts who want to take its search crown Google isn’t stopping there and have just introduced its “AI Mode,” a Q&A-style search tool, to users in India today. The company said that this tool is still in the experimental stage and users will need to opt in to it through Search Labs.

Once a user has opted in, they can ask queries in English. Google didn’t specify whether it plans to support local languages or when that might be available.

Users can search for answers to complex, multi-part queries such as “My kids are 4 and 7 and have lots of energy. Suggest creative ways to get them active and moving indoors, especially on hot days, without needing a lot of space or expensive toys.” Additionally, users can ask follow-up questions to refine results.

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Google started testing AI mode with premium subscribers in the US earlier this year. The company then started broadly rolling out the feature to all US users after its Google IO event. Over time, the company has added a shopping feature, introduced voice and image search support, and introduced ads.

The company said that voice and image search features are supported for users in India, given that voice is a popular mode for search. It added that the AI mode is powered by a custom version of Gemini 2.5. The company also noted that early testers of the AI mode are asking 2x to 3x longer queries.

With more than 870 million internet users, India is one of the biggest markets for Google. It also acts as a testing ground for the company to observe how multilingual users use its products.

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While Google still has a lion’s share in the search market, people have started using chat-based AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity more in their daily lives. With AI mode, Google wants users who prefer that kind of interface to use its own product.

Apart from AI mode, Google has been pushing products such as AI overviews, which summarize query results for you, in search. The company said in April that more than 1.5 billion people are using AI overviews across the globe. Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Google’s AI features are hurting publishers, which have seen traffic drop-offs from organic search.

Matthew Griffin / About Author

Described by NASA as a "Walking Encyclopaedia of the Future" and one of the world’s most in demand keynote speakers Matthew Griffin, Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm, is a multi-award winning Futurist and strategic foresight expert, author, lecturer, mentor, podcast and YouTube host.

With a distinguished career running global business units at Atos, EMC, and IBM today Matthew helps leaders and titans of industry from all over the world explore the impact of the inter sections of technology, culture, and leadership, then helps them create high performance organisations that can continuously disrupt, outpace, and outthink their competition.

15 times author of the hit series the Codex of the Future series Matthew's ability to identify, track, and explain the impacts of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends on global business, culture, and society has earned him a powerful reputation and a roster of clients that include royal households, world leaders across the G7, G20, and G77, and many of the world's most recognised and exceptional organisations including ABB, Accenture, ABN Amro, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi Group, Coca Cola, Deloitte, Dentons, Disney, Dow, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Microsoft, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Nokia, Paramount, PepsiCo, PWC, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, T-Mobile, UBS, Visa, WIRED, WPP and hundreds of others.

Matthew is regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, and his mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.