Google just made its AI only one tap away on Android
You can choose to bring AI Mode front and center. | Image credit – 9to5Google Setting it up is pretty simple. Just long-press the widget on your homescreen, tap "Customize," and head into the Shortcuts section. "AI Mode" is now right there, second on the list. If you're not using a Pixel phone, this widget might be the quickest way to access AI Mode.
But there's a catch: if you're not part of the "AI Mode" Search Lab, things still look like before. You'll see the shortcut as a pill under the Search bar, not part of it – and you'll miss out on the sleeker UI that's rolling out to users in the new Discover feed design, complete with Search Live access.
Old vs new look. | Image credit – 9to5Google There's actually a lot going on with Search lately. Google now lets you dig deeper using AI Overview with a set of three handy follow-up buttons. It can even make phone calls to businesses on your behalf and handle deep research tasks. The new "Search Live" feature is rolling out too, letting you speak casually and get real-time answers. And AI Mode is also expanding to Circle to Search, bringing gaming support and upgraded visuals.
Basically, Google's AI is everywhere in Search now – and it's not slowing down. On top of that, the company is also testing a new way to organize results into categories, which could seriously change how we find things online. But while all this sounds great for saving time, I believe there's a flip side. With AI constantly trying to predict what we want, there's a risk we might stop exploring, stop learning new things, and miss out on results we didn't know we needed.
It's a shiny new era for Search – but whether it makes us smarter or just more efficient… well, that part's still up in the air.
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