What is Google AI Mode and what has changed in 2026?
Short answer
Google AI Mode is Google’s conversational search: it splits your question into several searches, reads pages from its index and writes an answer with links to its sources, which you can follow up with more questions. It runs on Gemini models, is free and has more than 1 billion monthly users.
Until recently, searching on Google meant getting a list of links. With AI Mode you get a ready-written text that combines several sources and invites you to keep asking. Compare a classic Google search with AI Mode and the difference is obvious within seconds. On 7 October 2025, Google extended AI Mode to dozens of new languages and countries; the next day, Google Spain announced its arrival in Spain (in Spanish), as part of an expansion it put at 36 new languages and almost 50 more countries and territories.
In 2026 it has gone from novelty to a central part of Search. At its I/O conference on 19 May, Google announced more than 1 billion monthly users, Gemini 3.5 Flash as the default model worldwide and a direct jump from an AI Overview (the summary that sometimes appears above the results) into a conversation in AI Mode, in every country.
- 25 Mar 2025
AI Overviews reach Spain
In Spanish and English, for signed-in users aged 18 and over.
- 20 May 2025
AI Mode opens to everyone in the US
Google explains its query fan-out technique.
- 23 Sep 2025
AI Mode starts rolling out in Spanish worldwide
It can be tried at google.com/ai.
- 8 Oct 2025
AI Mode reaches Spain
With its own button in the results and in the Google app.
- 19 May 2026
Google I/O 2026: more than 1 billion users
Gemini 3.5 Flash becomes the default model.
- 31 Aug 2026
Search Console measures AI for every website
A Generative AI performance report and a control to exclude your site.
- 28 Sep 2026
Information tracking opens to everyone
You can ask AI Mode to monitor a topic and alert you when it changes.
Why is everyone talking about AI Mode this autumn?
Because several changes have landed within six weeks that make it more visible and, for the first time, measurable. There is no single announcement behind it: it is the sum of these.
- 28 August 2026. Google confirmed to Search Engine Roundtable that, for some queries, AI Overviews now expand on their own with the follow-up box already open, pushing the classic results further down. It has not said in which countries.
- 31 August 2026. The Generative AI performance report in Search Console reaches every website.
- 2 September 2026. Gemini 3.8 Flash arrived in AI Mode for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.
- 28 September 2026. Robby Stein, Vice President of Product for Google Search, opens information tracking in the Google app to everyone.
- 8 October 2026. AI Mode marks its first year in Spain.
My reading
How do you turn on Google AI Mode?
You do not have to turn anything on: AI Mode is one more option in Google, and it is free. Whether you typed google ai mode, ai mode google or google search with ai mode to get here, these are the entry points described in the Google Search help page on AI Mode:
- On a computer: go to google.com/ai, or type your question on google.com and click the AI Mode button, next to tabs such as Images or News.
- On a phone: open the Google app on Android or iOS and tap AI Mode on the home screen.
- From an AI Overview: choose “Dive deeper in AI Mode” or type a follow-up question below the summary, and the conversation carries on in AI Mode.
- Through Search Labs: if you want to try experimental features first (this is what most people mean by AI Mode Google Labs), opt into the AI Mode experiment. You must be 18 or over.
In practice, the AI Mode Google Search offers is a second search engine inside the first one: you only enter it when you choose to.
How to turn off AI Mode on Google
If you searched for turn off ai mode google, the short answer is that there is nothing to switch off: if you do not click the button, you stay in ordinary search, which was the default when AI Mode reached Spain, according to elDiario.es (in Spanish). Google’s help page on AI Mode describes no setting to disable it, and I have not found any official announcement that changes this. AI Overviews are a different matter: they appear on their own in some searches.
What is Google’s AI called?
Google’s AI is called Gemini: it is the name of its family of models and of its assistant, the Gemini app. People who search for “Google AI” are usually mixing up three different things. The first is the Gemini app, where you chat with the assistant. The second is AI Overviews, the summary that sometimes appears above the results. The third is Google's AI Mode, the full conversational search.
The last two live inside Google Search and are the ones that affect your website’s traffic. Using Gemini inside your company is another conversation: I cover it in what agents your company can build with Gemini Enterprise.
How does Google AI Mode choose the websites it cites?
AI Mode chooses its sources in two steps: first it runs many searches at once on parts of your question, then it cites the passages that best answer each one. Google calls the first step query fan-out. When it launched AI Mode across the US, Google described it as “breaking down your question into subtopics and issuing a multitude of queries simultaneously”.
While it writes, it keeps looking for pages that support the answer. That is why, according to Google Search Central’s documentation, it shows a wider range of links than a classic search. An example: someone asks which invoicing software suits a 20-person SME. AI Mode might split that into sub-questions like these:
- how much it costs per user;
- whether it integrates with the ERP or the bank;
- what existing users think of it;
- what alternatives exist for companies of the same size.
Your page is not competing only for the phrase the user typed, but for each sub-question. If you answer one of them well, you can be cited even if you are not first for the main query. Google says there is nothing special to do: the page must be indexed and eligible to be shown with a snippet, with no additional technical requirements. How to get from “indexed” to “cited” is what I explain in the guide what GEO is and how it differs from SEO.
| Criterion | Classic search | AI Overview | AI Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| What the user sees | An ordered list of links | A summary above the results, only when Google thinks it adds value | A conversational answer with links and follow-up questions |
| Searches Google runs | One: the one you typed | May use query fan-out | Query fan-out: several queries at once |
| How you get there | By default | Appears on its own in some searches | AI Mode button, google.com/ai or a follow-up question |
| Position in Search Console | That of each result | A single position for all the links in the summary | Same method as a results page; each follow-up question is a new query |
| What you compete for | A position and a click | Being one of the linked sources | Being cited for each sub-question |
What is Google AI Mode Deep Search?
Deep Search is the most thorough version of the same idea. Google presented it at I/O 2025 as a way to bring deep research capabilities into AI Mode: it can “issue hundreds of searches” and “create an expert-level fully-cited report in just minutes”, and it was announced as launching first in Labs. For your website the logic does not change: more searches mean more sub-questions where you can be cited, or left out.
In AI Mode you are not competing for a position: you are competing to be one of the few sources the answer chooses to show.
My advice: write for the sub-questions
How much traffic does Google AI Mode take from your website?
There are no public figures for Spain or the UK, but the serious studies point the same way: when the AI answer settles the question, far fewer people click. These are the most solid figures on Google Search AI Mode and AI summaries.
92–94%
of AI Mode sessions ended without a visit to another website (US, desktop, May–July 2025)
Semrush, 30 July 2025
8%
of visits with an AI summary ended in a click on a classic result, against 15% without one
Pew Research Center, 22 July 2025
−58%
CTR for the top result when an AI Overview is present (December 2025 vs December 2023)
Ahrefs, 4 February 2026
1 billion+
monthly AI Mode users worldwide
Alphabet, 22 July 2026
Semrush analysed almost 69 million Google sessions on US desktop computers between May and July 2025. Pew Research Center tracked the browsing of 900 US adults in March 2025: with an AI summary on screen, only 1% of visits clicked a link inside the summary itself. And Ahrefs compared 300,000 keywords using aggregated Search Console data.
Google tells a different story. In its second-quarter 2026 results, Sundar Pichai said that AI Mode increases total searches and that AI in Search sends billions of clicks to websites every week. Its documentation adds that those clicks are of higher quality, because users spend more time on the site. Google does not publish country-level data that proves it.
Be careful extrapolating
My reading: AI Mode does not kill traffic, it filters it. “What is” and “how to” searches are resolved without a click; the ones that end in a quote, a demo or a purchase still need your website. If you live on the latter, the challenge is to be cited in the conversation that comes before.
How can you see in Search Console what Google AI Mode brings you?
Since 31 August 2026, Search Console has had a Generative AI performance report for every website in the world: the first official way to know how often Google shows your site in AI Mode and AI Overviews. It arrives alongside a control to exclude yourself from those features.
| Criterion | Performance (Web) | Generative AI performance report | Search generative AI control |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | The usual report, with all web search traffic | A new report just for the AI features in Search | A setting under Settings to include or exclude your site |
| What it covers | All web search, including AI Mode and AI Overviews, without separating them | AI Mode and AI Overviews (Search Labs experiments are not included) | AI Mode, AI Overviews and generative AI features in Discover |
| What it measures | Clicks, impressions, CTR and position | Impressions by page, country, date and device; no queries or clicks | Nothing: it only decides whether you appear |
| What it is for | Seeing the overall click trend | Knowing which pages AI shows | Only if you have a serious reason not to appear |
According to Search Console Help, a click from AI Mode counts as a normal click and each follow-up question as a new query. And the Generative AI performance report only gives impressions: it tells you that you were shown, not that you were visited. Cross-checking both reports is the basis of any serious Search & AI Visibility work for Google and ChatGPT.
Before you touch the Search generative AI control
Check your robots.txt for AI bots as well: blocking Googlebot by mistake takes you out of search altogether. And you do not need any special file to appear in AI Mode; if someone has sold you one, first read what the llms.txt file is and whether it does anything.
What does Google AI Mode mean for your business?
It means that some of your customers already decide before they reach your website, with an answer that mixes your information with your competitors’. It is not the only change AI is bringing: I summarise the rest in what Spanish companies are really doing with AI.
LeadershipHigh impact
The organic channel can no longer be measured in clicks alone. Ask for an indicator of presence in AI answers alongside traffic, and expect fewer visits from informational searches. If you want an outside view, that is the starting point of my AI consultancy for businesses.
MarketingHigh impact
Your content has to answer specific sub-questions, with data and dates. On the advertising side, ads in AI Overviews are only served in English and in a list of countries that includes neither Spain nor the UK, according to Google Ads Help. To see where this is heading, read what changes with ads in ChatGPT.
Sales and customer serviceMedium impact
Customers arrive with the comparison already done and sharper questions. Check what AI says about your prices, lead times and terms. Google can already call businesses on the user’s behalf in some categories: this is agentic AI arriving in Search. If you want your company to serve its customers in the same way, that is done with custom AI agents.
IT and dataMedium impact
Your website must be crawlable, indexable and serve its text in HTML. Add the Generative AI performance report to your dashboards. If you also want to automate internal processes, start with the MAPA method for mapping and automating processes with AI.
How much does Google AI Mode affect your website?
It depends mainly on two things: the type of searches that bring you customers and how ready your content is to be cited by AI. This quiz combines both and gives you your next steps.
What should you do now to appear in Google AI Mode?
Start by measuring and then adjust the content: in a week you can know where you stand and in a quarter you can change it. It is the same order I follow in my work on custom AI agents and visibility in AI search engines.
This week: open the Generative AI performance report
In Search Console, open the Generative AI performance report. Note which pages get impressions and compare them with the pages that bring the most clicks in the Web report.
This week: ask your 20 questions
Type into AI Mode the 20 questions your customers ask before they buy. Note which sources it cites and whether you appear. Repeat every month: answers change from one run to the next.
This week: check the technical basics
Make sure the Search generative AI control is set to “include”, that your robots.txt does not block Googlebot and that your key pages are indexed. The “Can AI read you?” checklist in my free resources, with the checklist and the MAPA template, will help.
This quarter: rewrite for the sub-questions
Pick your five most important business pages. Open each one with a direct answer, add a table with prices or comparisons and cover the sub-questions you saw in step 2.
This quarter: build presence beyond your website
AI Mode also cites comparison sites, forums, media and directories. Make sure you are on the ones that matter in your sector, with correct details and your brand name always written the same way.
This quarter: get help if you have no team
If there is nobody to do it, my Search & AI Visibility service starts with exactly this diagnosis, with no promises of rankings.
Key points
- Google AI Mode is free and needs no switching on: just click AI Mode. It reached Spain on 8 October 2025 and has more than 1 billion monthly users.
- It chooses its sources through query fan-out: you compete for every sub-question, not just for the keyword.
- The available studies, all from the US, show far fewer clicks when AI answers; measure your own case before drawing conclusions.
- Since 31 August 2026, Search Console tells you how often Google’s AI shows your website.
- You can exclude your website from Google’s AI, but for most companies that leaves the field open to competitors.
Frequently asked questions about Google AI Mode
What is Google AI Mode?
Google AI Mode is Google’s conversational search. It splits your question into several simultaneous searches, reads pages from Google’s index and writes an answer with links to its sources, which you can follow up with more questions. It runs on Gemini models, is free and has been available in Spain and in Spanish since October 2025. Classic search still exists: AI Mode opens from its own button.
How do I turn on Google AI Mode?
There is nothing to turn on. On a computer, go to google.com/ai, or type your question on google.com and click the AI Mode button. On a phone, open the Google app and tap AI Mode on the home screen. You can also get there by choosing “Dive deeper in AI Mode” below an AI Overview. To try experimental features first, adults can opt into the AI Mode experiment in Search Labs.
What is Google’s AI called?
Google’s AI is called Gemini: it is the name of its family of models and of its assistant, the Gemini app. In Google Search, AI appears in two forms: AI Overviews, which summarise the answer above the results, and AI Mode, a full conversational search. Since May 2026, the default model in AI Mode has been Gemini 3.5 Flash.
Is Google AI Mode free?
Yes. Google AI Mode is free in the countries and languages where it is available, including Spain and Spanish. What you pay for are some more advanced models: for example, Gemini 3.8 Flash arrived in AI Mode on 2 September 2026 only for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers. You do not need any paid plan to search and hold a conversation as normal.
How does Google AI Mode choose which websites to cite?
It uses query fan-out: it breaks the question into subtopics, runs many searches at once and, while it writes, looks for pages that support each part of the answer. To be eligible, your page must be indexed and eligible to be shown with a snippet; Google says there are no additional technical requirements. In practice, passages that answer a sub-question directly and with concrete data have the advantage.
Can I stop Google AI Mode from using my website?
Yes. Since 31 August 2026, Search Console has had a Search generative AI control, under Settings, that excludes your site’s links and content from AI Mode, AI Overviews and generative AI features in Discover. It takes effect within one or two days and, according to Google, it is not a ranking signal. Before using it, bear in mind that you leave that space to your competitors.
How do I know if my website appears in Google AI Mode?
Open the Generative AI performance report in Search Console, available for all websites since 31 August 2026. It shows how many impressions your pages get in AI Mode and AI Overviews, by page, country, date and device, but it shows no queries or clicks. Complement it with a fixed set of questions that you run in AI Mode every month.
Sources
- Google Spain. La Búsqueda de Google: el Modo IA llega a España (in Spanish, 8 October 2025).
- Google. AI Mode in Spanish (23 September 2025).
- Google. AI Mode expands to more languages and locations (7 October 2025).
- Google. AI Mode in Google Search: updates from Google I/O 2025 (20 May 2025).
- Google. Google Search’s I/O 2026 updates (19 May 2026).
- Google. Alphabet Q2 2026 earnings: CEO’s remarks (22 July 2026).
- Google. Gemini 3.8 Flash and 3.8 Flash Cyber (2 September 2026).
- Google. Bringing AI Overviews to more countries in Europe (25 March 2025).
- Google Search Help. Get AI-powered responses with AI Mode in Google Search (accessed 12 October 2026).
- Google Search Central. AI features and your website (updated 10 December 2025).
- Search Console Help. Generative AI performance report (Search), Search generative AI control and how the data is counted (accessed 12 October 2026).
- Google Ads Help. Ads in AI Overviews (accessed 12 October 2026).
- Search Engine Roundtable. Google AI Overviews push AI Mode responses (28 August 2026) and Google globally rolls out monitoring capabilities in AI Mode (28 September 2026).
- elDiario.es. Google activa su «Modo IA» en España (in Spanish, 8 October 2025).
- Semrush. Google AI Mode’s early adoption and SEO impact (30 July 2025).
- Pew Research Center. Google users are less likely to click on links when an AI summary appears in the results (22 July 2025).
- Ahrefs. AI Overviews reduce clicks (update) (4 February 2026).
This article was created with the help of AI and reviewed by José Galán. I take great care over every post and every translation, but the odd mistake can still slip through. If you find one, write to me: you will be helping me improve.
Search & AI Visibility
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