Step aside, Google Search. AI Mode is becoming a permanent fixture.

Questions abound regarding when Google’s AI Mode will become the primary search option on its homepage, taking the place of traditional Google Search. As we explore the realm of AI-driven search, analysts predict that AI Mode will ultimately replace the conventional list of hyperlinks.

A Google executive recently suggested this transformation may happen sooner than expected.

On Friday, Logan Kilpatrick, the primary product manager for Google AI Studio, disclosed that Google is making AI Mode readily available through a new “google.com/AI” link.

In response to Kilpatrick’s announcement, a user recommended that AI Mode should be the standard search format, to which Kilpatrick responded, “soon.”

Google has significantly invested in AI in recent years with innovations like Gemini. In the search domain, Google has concentrated on its AI Overviews feature, which are AI-generated summaries that appear at the top of many query result pages. AI Mode, a recently launched AI search utility, merges a traditional AI chatbot experience with Google’s search functionalities to deliver real-time AI-generated responses rather than standard links.

During its Q2 earnings briefing in late July, Google stated that AI Mode has garnered “very positive feedback” and “already boasts over 100 million monthly active users in the U.S. and India.” Since then, AI Mode has been rolled out to more than 180 additional countries and regions.

Should AI Mode take over from traditional Google Search, the repercussions for the web economy could be drastic. Numerous publishers depend on traffic from Google search results, which has sharply declined as Google adopts AI search outputs that often lead to zero clicks.

Prominent publishers like The New York Times have seen considerable drops in traffic stemming from organic search. The Columbia Journalism Review labeled this trend the “traffic apocalypse”; the Wall Street Journal referred to it as “AI armageddon”; and The Economist recently noted that “AI is killing the web.”

Is AI Mode set to replace Google Search?

The situation remains murky, with conflicting signals from Google officials.

As Kilpatrick’s statement drew interest, Google’s VP of Product for Google Search, Robby Stein, made attempts to downplay Kilpatrick’s comments.

“I wouldn’t read too much into this,” Stein wrote, stressing that the goal is to ensure AI Mode is easily accessible for interested users.

However, just as Stein advised against overanalyzing Kilpatrick’s remarks, we should be cautious not to overinterpret Stein’s comments either.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai had previously noted that the “10 blue links” period of search is obsolete and that AI Mode represents “a total reimagining” of search for the future. Google’s commitment to AI search is clear, with AI Overviews already being the standard on search results pages, and the quality of conventional Google Search has considerably diminished as the company prioritizes AI tools.

Why is this significant?

Transitioning from classic Google Search to AI Mode would bring about monumental shifts in the internet landscape. Billions of searches on Google are conducted daily, and research has indicated that Google’s AI Overviews have had a profoundly negative effect on publishers’ web traffic. Google contests that AI Overviews do not diminish traffic to publishers but has yet to present compelling data to substantiate this claim.

Google’s AI functionalities may still be unprepared for complete implementation. A Mashable investigation revealed that AI Overviews often produce mistakes and encounter hallucinations.

For instance, Mashable’s Chris Taylor rigorously evaluated AI Overviews and was troubled not only by its inaccuracies but also by the confidence with which it delivered those errors. Curiously, Taylor discovered that in cases where AI Mode correctly answered a question, AI Overviews would fail. This may benefit AI Mode, yet it remains a concern for Google’s AI solutions overall.