Using a unique animated Doodle, Google is aggressively marketing its AI-powered search function, “AI Mode”, right on its homepage. This is a unique strategy that diverts attention from the company’s customary homages to individuals or occasions and instead emphasises its chatbot-like search experience.
You might have noticed something odd if you opened Google on Tuesday. The tech giant displayed an animated advertisement for its newest AI-powered search tool, AI Mode, in place of the customary cultural or historical Doodle. This out-of-the-ordinary action is intended to highlight the functionality, which is driven by Google’s sophisticated chatbot interface, Gemini, which is intended to provide conversational answers to complicated queries.
How Does AI Mode Operate and What Is It?
AI Mode is not a brand-new concept. Since its initial release in March 2025, it has been showing up alongside standard search results in a few countries. But this placement is by far the most well-known one to date.
With the help of his most sophisticated large language model (LLM), Gemini, AI Mode allows users to:
Pose intricate or multi-part queries.
Obtain comprehensive, AI-generated answers.
Communicate by voice, text, or even uploaded images.
By merging several enquiries into a single, comprehensive, conversational response, the technology essentially transforms the conventional search experience while saving time.
A Brave AI Advancement Amid Increasing Rivalry
Google’s use of the homepage, which is often used for commemorative Doodles, for a product promotion demonstrates how seriously the company takes the adoption of AI. A representative for the company explained that this was “a fun promotion to raise awareness” rather than a typical Doodle.
Google has previously experimented with putting AI Mode front and centre. In an apparent attempt to change user behaviour, the business even temporarily swapped off the recognisable “I’m Feeling Lucky” button with a shortcut to AI Mode back in May.
This most recent action seems to be a component of Google’s larger plan to contend with up-and-coming AI rivals such as Perplexity AI, Anthropic’s Claude, and OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Google is encouraging users to adapt to the evolving way we search for information.
Google is not only promoting a new feature with this daring homepage takeover, but it is also urging billions of users to adopt a new search method. AI Mode embodies Google’s future vision, which is smarter and more intuitive and powered by Gemini, as AI becomes increasingly integrated into our online experiences.