Inside Google’s AI Mode: Why Search Is Shifting and What Marketers Must Know

Google Shares Details Behind AI Mode Development

Google has disclosed insights into the creation of AI Mode, a new search feature built to handle longer, conversational queries. According to Google, AI Mode delivers “more qualified clicks,” although no data has been shared to back up these claims.

User Behavior Drove AI Mode Creation

Google developed AI Mode in response to changing user behavior with AI Overviews. Research showed users valued AI Overviews but found them unpredictable in appearance. Claudia Smith, UX Research Director at Google, pointed out that users wanted more consistency. Additionally, people started asking longer, more complex questions—something traditional search engines struggle to handle effectively.

Product Management Director Soufi Esmaeilzadeh explained the core question that guided development: “How do you reimagine a Search gen AI experience? What would that look like?” This focus on adapting to user needs was central to AI Mode’s design.

AI “Power Users” Guided the Development Process

Google’s UX research identified key use cases for AI Mode:

• Exploratory advice
• How-to guides
• Local shopping assistance

These insights helped shape the product’s ability to handle natural language questions instead of just keywords. Esmaeilzadeh noted early feedback showed users appreciated AI Mode’s ability to not only find information but also organize and present it in an easily digestible way using Google’s advanced AI models.

Industry Concerns Around AI Mode

Despite Google’s positive outlook, industry experts express concerns. John Shehata, founder of NewzDash, reports that some websites are already losing 25% to 32% of their traffic due to AI Overviews. News publishers see AI Overview penetration as high as 26% for health-related queries.

Mordy Oberstein, founder of Unify Brand Marketing, critiqued Google’s I/O demonstration, noting that the showcased examples were simpler than presented and mainly combined existing information rather than demonstrating advanced AI reasoning.

Google claims AI Mode improves user engagement with “more qualified clicks” but admits it has no data to share on quality improvements. Their reporting tools also don’t differentiate clicks from traditional search results, AI Overviews, or AI Mode, making independent verification difficult.

Shehata believes this shift changes the fundamental relationship between Google and publishers. The previous model—where Google showed snippets and sent traffic to publishers—is being disrupted, which could impact monetization strategies.

What This Means For SEO

For professionals working in IT and content development, these changes suggest a need to rethink SEO strategies. The move away from keyword targeting toward conversational queries means content should focus on answering questions directly and clearly.

Content types such as exploratory advice, how-to guides, and local assistance are likely to gain importance in AI Mode results. Publishers should prioritize in-depth analysis over commodity news, which is widely available across many sites.

Shehata advises shifting success metrics from traffic volume to visibility, recognizing that less traffic may come from Google searches in this new environment.

Looking Ahead

Esmaeilzadeh emphasized that development is ongoing: “We’re proud of the progress we’ve made, but there’s still a lot of work to do, and this user-centric approach will help us get there.” Google confirmed that additional AI Mode features shown at I/O 2025 will roll out in the coming weeks and months, indicating continuous evolution based on user feedback.

For those interested in staying ahead with AI and search technology, exploring specialized AI training can be beneficial. Resources like Complete AI Training’s latest AI courses offer practical insights into emerging AI tools and techniques.