In the wake of rising competition from other leading AI giants, Google has started testing a new feature that merges its AI Overviews with AI Mode in Search.

Google’s new feature merging AI Overviews with AI Mode  

This integration of AI Mode into AI Overviews would let users access AI-generated snapshots of key information above their search results and then ask follow-up questions in a conversational interface.

AI Mode was rolled out to U.S. and global users in May and August, respectively, enabling ChatGPT-like interactions with Google’s Gemini AI; however, until now, users had to choose between traditional search queries or engage in a deeper conversation by switching to the AI Mode tab, based on their inquiry type.

By combining both of its search engine-oriented AI offerings, Google aims to streamline this process by allowing users to “seamlessly go deeper” into AI Mode directly from the Search results page.

Outlining Google’s goal of making information seeking more intuitive and accessible, Robby Stein, Google’s VP of Product for Search, stated, “You shouldn’t have to think about where or how to ask your question.”

Announced earlier this week during the testing phase, this new tool is currently available only on mobile devices.

The merger of AI Mode and AI Overviews comes on the heels of OpenAI’s focus shifting to enhancing its chatbot experience, while delaying other product launches.

As Gemini has attracted over 650 million monthly users, after the recent upgrades, particularly to the Nano Banana image model, merging AI Mode with AI Overviews could further expand Gemini’s user base.