AI Mode launched in Search Labs
Google began testing AI Mode, a fully conversational search surface with no conventional results list, as a Labs experiment.
What changed
AI Mode was introduced as an opt-in Search Labs experiment offering an entirely generated, multi-step answering experience with follow-up questions, distinct from AI Overviews sitting above ordinary results. It used a query fan-out technique, issuing multiple related searches behind a single user question and synthesising across them. Google said links would remain part of the experience but publishers observed a much smaller set of cited sources than a conventional results page.
Timing
Rollout began 5 March 2025. No completion date was announced. Rankings typically remain unstable for the whole rollout window, so measurements taken inside it are not a reliable read on the outcome.