Latest news with #AIMode
Hindustan Times
41 minutes ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
What is AI mode, and how to use it? Here's everything you need to know
On Tuesday, if you visited Google or opened your Chrome browser, you may have noticed something a little different. The homepage featured an animated doodle. Click it, and you're taken straight to AI Mode, Google's new step in redefining how we search online. The doodle even had a share button. Available in the US, Google's AI Mode allows voice, text, and image queries, marking a significant shift in online search capabilities. (Photo by Camille Cohen / AFP)(AFP) 'AI Mode is where we will first bring our frontier capabilities into search,' CEO Sundar Pichai expressed. So, what exactly is AI Mode, and why is Google pushing it front and center? ALSO READ| Google hit with $314 million US verdict in cellular data class action What is Google AI Mode? AI Mode is Google's fresh take on search. Now instead of just returning a list of links, it combines same search results with AI-generated summaries and answers, pulling in content from across the internet. The idea? Give users quicker, clearer responses. It's powered by Gemini 2.5, an upgraded version of Google's core AI model. This technology distills the web's information into concise, useful responses, often with handy links for further exploration. 'You can ask nuanced questions that might have previously taken multiple searches — like exploring a new concept or comparing detailed options — and get a helpful AI-powered response with links to learn more,' Robby Stein, Google's VP of Search, explained in a blog post. Whether you're struggling to work out which is the best tablet to buy for your child, what are the advantages and disadvantages of a Mediterranean diet, or which is better, GPT-4o and Claude 3? Well, AI Mode is focused on making the process at least a bit smarter and straightforward. ALSO READ| 3-year-old told to self-deport in 'leave US' letter? Reddit claim raises alarm, sparks disbelief How does AI Mode work? You can type, talk, or even bring pictures, and the artificial intelligence will comprehend your inquiry and reply. This multi-modal capability makes it flexible in the sense that you can either request a recipe idea with an image of your pantry or use voice to request a question you want answered, and you are on the road. How to use AI Mode While penning this article, AI Mode is widely available in the US and is also being tested in India. If you're in the US, you're all set to try it. Here's how: Go to the Google homepage and look for the 'AI Mode' option next to the search bar. Visit directly at Use the Google app on your phone and tap the AI Mode button on the home screen. ALSO READ| Jeff Bezos sells $737 million of Amazon stock in year's first sale 'This is the future of Google search, a search that goes beyond information to intelligence,' Elizabeth Reid, vice president and head of search at Google, said in the same blog post.
New York Post
4 hours ago
- Business
- New York Post
Top news sites suffer drastic drop in web traffic since Google added AI search — with some plunging 40%
Visits to major US news websites have plummeted since Google rolled out its artificial intelligence search feature last year – with some plunging 40%, according to troubling new data. Of the top 50 news domains, 37 suffered year-over-year traffic declines after the launch of Google's AI Overviews last May, according to SimilarWeb. The drastic dropoff comes despite headline-grabbing events that included the assassination attempt on Donald Trump last summer, his stunning election victory over Kamala Harris a few months later and the turmoil over the new president's tariff policies. 'The data absolutely shows the new AI products Google has announced are affecting news publishers' traffic,' Danielle Coffey, President and CEO of News/Media Alliance, told The Post on Tuesday. 3 Google's generative artificial intelligence functions continue to have a devastating impact on publishers, according to the latest data. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images 'On top of all the SEO changes that have decreased traffic recently in traditional search, this is certain to negatively impact our ability to invest in quality journalism,' added Coffey, whose nonprofit trade association represents more than 2,200 news organizations. Forbes and HuffPost were the hardest hit, each losing 40% of their traffic, while plunged 32% and fell 28%, according to SimilarWeb. The Post and sister publication Wall Street Journal suffered declines of 27% and 17%, respectively, the data showed. Fox fell 24%. Fox News parent Fox Corp. and The Post parent News Corp share common ownership. ComScore, which uses a different methodology from SimilarWeb to track traffic, found that NYPost Network — which includes and affiliated properties such as Decider and Page Six — drew 433 million page views in June 2024 before falling to 381 million for May 2025, a loss of 12%. 3 suffered one of the steepest drops, with traffic down 28% year-over-year to 311.7 million visits, according to Similarweb. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Meanwhile, — part of News Corp-owned Dow Jones — and Fox both posted slight increases over the same time frame, one of the few publications to gain traffic, according to ComScore. Left-leaning rivals the New York Times and The Washington Post dipped 0.7% and 6%, respectively, ComScore found. Publication that saw the biggest gains, according to SimilarWeb, included (+415%), (+96%) and (+77%). A Google spokesperson denied that AI push was to blame for the cratering traffic. 3 Google's AI model, Gemini is powering tools such as AI Mode, which negate the need for users to visit external sites. Gado via Getty Images 'More than any other company, Google prioritizes sending traffic to the web, and we continue to send billions of clicks to websites every day,' the rep told The Post on Tuesday. 'We've seen many inaccurate claims about traffic from Search, often based on speculative or incomplete information, questionable methodology, or data that predates AI Overviews. New AI experiences in Search enable people to ask even more questions, which creates new opportunities for businesses and content to be discovered.' The company added that there are known limitations to SimilarWeb's dataset since it only looks at desktop and mobile web, not app activity. Google's AI Overviews — automated summaries powered by its Gemini model — appear at the top of results pages and directly answer user queries, often preempting the need for users to go to the source of the information. Since the rollout of AI Overviews, many publishers have reported steep declines in both traffic and click-through rates (CTR). According to multiple studies, the average CTR for the top organic result on queries that trigger AI Overviews plummeted from 7.3% in March 2024 to just 2.6% by March 2025. Google also recently rolled out AI Mode — an advanced search experience that delivers detailed, conversational answers to complex queries. Despite previously stating that AI Overviews would not appear for 'hard news topics' due to concerns over freshness and factuality, an AIO box appeared atop search results for 'anne burrell death' shortly after the story broke. A recent Google document now states that AI Overviews will appear when they add value and the system has high confidence in the response, though efforts are being made to exclude sensitive or dangerous topics. The company claimed that overall visits to the web and traffic from organic search have increased year-over-year in aggregate, and that AI Overviews are designed to enhance the user experience by surfacing more links from a broader range of sources. Google added that publishers can experience traffic fluctuations for many reasons unrelated to AI — including seasonal demand, shifting user preferences and regular algorithm updates.
CNBC
5 hours ago
- Business
- CNBC
Google promotes ‘AI Mode' on home page 'Doodle'
The Google Doodle is Alphabet's most valuable piece of real estate, and on Tuesday, the company used that space to promote "AI Mode," its latest AI search product. Google's Chrome browser landing pages and Google's home page featured an animated image that, when clicked, leads users to AI Mode, the company's latest search product. The doodle image also includes a share button. The promotion of AI Mode on the Google Doodle comes as the tech company makes efforts to expose more users to its latest AI features amid pressure from artificial intelligence startups. That includes OpenAI which makes ChatGPT, Anthropic which makes Claude and Perplexity AI, which bills itself as an "AI-powered answer engine." AI Mode is Google's chatbot-like experience for complex user questions. The company began displaying AI Mode alongside its search results page in March. "Search whatever's on your mind and get AI-powered responses," the product description reads when clicked from the home page. AI Mode is powered by Google's flagship AI model Gemini, and the tool has rolled out to more U.S. users since its launch. Users can ask AI Mode questions using text, voice or images. Google says AI Mode makes it easier to find answers to complex questions that might have previously required multiple searches. In May, Google tested the AI Mode feature directly beneath the Google search bar, replacing the "I'm Feeling Lucky" widget — a place where Google rarely makes changes.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Hungary Blocks EU's Ukraine Talks, Orban Warns NATO Entry Means ‘World War III'
Google Search AI Mode launched in India: Does it really make your search smarter? Google Search just got a whole lot smarter! The all-new AI Mode is officially rolling out in India via Google Labs. First announced at Google I/O 2024, this feature brings AI-powered, conversational search right inside your Google app. In this video, we show how AI Mode works, what it can do, and how it's different from Google's Gemini chatbot. 13.8K views | 1 day ago
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Smriti Mandhana Post Match Press Conference
Google Search AI Mode launched in India: Does it really make your search smarter? Google Search just got a whole lot smarter! The all-new AI Mode is officially rolling out in India via Google Labs. First announced at Google I/O 2024, this feature brings AI-powered, conversational search right inside your Google app. In this video, we show how AI Mode works, what it can do, and how it's different from Google's Gemini chatbot. 13.8K views | 1 day ago
