Overview

• Users can choose a new AI Mode tab that replaces long link lists with a synthesized, conversational answer and footnoted sources, with the option to ask follow‑up questions.
• The feature runs on a tuned Gemini 2.5/Pro 2.5 model integrated with real‑time search and Google’s Knowledge Graph, and it accepts text, images and voice inputs.
• Google says the system decomposes complex queries using a Query‑Fan‑Out approach and offers agentic capabilities that can handle tasks such as placing online orders.
• Availability is expanding to 36 additional languages and more than 40 countries including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Poland, Thailand and Vietnam, with access rolling out over several days.
• Publishers report double‑digit traffic declines since AI answers appeared, while Google disputes those measurements and points to roughly 10% growth in overall search queries, with ad experiments limited to the U.S. for now.