In a significant step towards a more intuitive and visually driven search experience, Google is expanding access to its experimental AI Mode and equipping it with the power of Google Lens.
These developments aim to provide users with a more comprehensive search experience, almost like a ‘deep research’ element within search so users get an even more intuitive and personal response — fast.
Initially available to Google One AI Premium subscribers, AI Mode is now being rolled out to millions of Labs users across the United States. This expansion allows a broader audience to benefit from AI Mode's ability to handle complex and nuanced queries.
Users can engage in more exploratory and open-ended searches, such as comparing products, seeking how-to guidance, or planning trips.
Integrating multimodal capabilities with Google Lens
In addition to wider accessibility, Google is enhancing AI Mode by incorporating the multimodal capabilities of Google Lens. Users can now input queries using images either by uploading photos or utilizing their device's camera — and receive AI-powered responses.
This integration leverages a custom version of Google's Gemini model, enabling AI Mode to comprehend entire scenes within images, aiming to understand not just what's in an image, but the context surrounding it — how objects relate, their materials, colors, and arrangements.
According to Google, it uses a sophisticated "query fan-out" technique.
In essence, when you provide an image, AI Mode intelligently generates multiple underlying queries about the scene and the objects within it, pulling information from a wider swath of the web than a single, simple search might capture. The goal? To deliver nuanced, context-aware answers with helpful links to explore further.
Google has found that queries in AI Mode are, on average, twice as long as traditional Google searches. This suggests users are already turning to it for more complex and exploratory tasks — comparing products in detail, mapping out how-to projects, or planning multi-faceted trips, rather than just quick fact lookups.
In other words, once users are provided with a response, they are often inspired to dig deeper and learn more about the topic.
Ongoing improvements and user feedback
While still technically an experiment within Labs, this move clearly signals Google's direction: weaving advanced AI more deeply into the fabric of search, making it more conversational, contextual, and now, capable of understanding the visual world around us. As millions more users gain access, Google will be gathering feedback to further refine this glimpse into the future of finding information.
Users are being encouraged to explore these new features through the Google app on Android and iOS devices and share their experiences to aid in further enhancements. Have you tried it? Let us know what you think in the comments.
More from Tom's Guide
- Why I ditched ChatGPT for Gemini — and the 5 prompts that sealed the deal
- Back to the Future was released 40 years ago — here's all the AI they predicted that we have (and what they missed)
- I caught my son using ChatGPT — and it made me rethink everything about parenting in the AI age
