Hassan Khan
Google is making a major shift in how we search the web, and it’s officially rolling out in the UK. The tech giant is launching AI Mode, a new search feature powered by its Gemini AI platform. Instead of showing you a list of blue links like the traditional Google we all know, this new feature gives you an AI written answer fast, conversational, and with fewer links.
This doesn’t replace the classic search experience. But it does introduce a big shift in how people will interact with Google and it’s already making waves.
What Is “AI Mode”?
Think of it like having a personal assistant built right into your search bar. You can ask full, detailed questions like “What’s the best pet-friendly cleaner for a Berber carpet?” and the AI will give you a helpful summary instead of just a list of websites.
This feature is already available in the US and India, and now it’s rolling out in the UK. It will show up as a separate tab or as an option directly inside the search box.
According to Google, people are asking more natural, complex questions now, and AI Mode is designed to meet that demand. Instead of typing “clean carpet stain,” users are describing full scenarios and expecting better, tailored answers.
Read More: Google Launches ‘AI Mode’ to Reinvent How We Search Online
So What’s the Catch?
While this sounds like a win for users, not everyone is thrilled. Businesses especially publishers and retailers are worried. Why? Because fewer links in search results mean fewer people clicking through to their websites.
For example, the Daily Mail reports that their traffic from Google searches has dropped by nearly 50% since the AI summaries started appearing. That’s a huge hit for businesses that rely on Google search traffic to stay afloat.
News outlets, in particular, are concerned. If readers get all the information they need from Google’s AI summary, they may never click through to the original article. This undermines journalism not just financially, but also by cutting out the full context and depth that original stories offer.
Will Businesses Be Able to Pay to Appear in AI Answers?
Right now, no one really knows. Hema Budaraju, a product lead at Google, says the company hasn’t finalized how advertising will work in AI Mode or whether businesses can pay to be included in answers. Understandably, this uncertainty is making businesses anxious.
More Info, Fewer Clicks
A Pew Research study found that when an AI summary is shown at the top of the page, users only click a link once in every 100 searches. Google disagrees with that number and says the study’s methods were flawed but even so, it paints a worrying picture for companies relying on clicks.
Rosa Curling from Foxglove, a digital rights campaign group, sums it up well:
The AI summary keeps readers’ eyes on the Google page not the websites that did the actual work.
Environmental Concerns
AI isn’t free. It requires massive data centers, which use huge amounts of electricity and clean water. Google says it’s working on sustainable solutions, but the scale of this shift raises big questions about the environmental cost of AI driven search.
What’s Next?
This is just the beginning. AI tools like ChatGPT have already changed how we ask questions online. Now, Google is joining the party in a big way and it’s going to have lasting effects on how we use the web, how businesses reach customers, and even how we think about information.
Whether this shift makes search more helpful or just more complicated remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: the way we search is changing fast.
