Google is expanding access to its AI Mode search experience and adding some powerful new visual search capabilities. The company announced today that millions more Google Labs users in the US will now have access to the AI-powered search tool previously limited to Google One AI Premium subscribers.
Key Points
- Google is rolling out AI Mode to millions more Labs users in the US
- New integration brings Lens's visual search capabilities to AI Mode
- Users can now upload images or take photos to ask complex questions about what they see
Google is integrating the visual capabilities of Google Lens directly into AI Mode, creating a more robust multimodal search experience that allows users to ask questions about images they upload or photograph.
"Since launching AI Mode to Google One AI Premium subscribers, we've heard incredibly positive feedback from early users about its clean design, fast response time and ability to understand complex and nuanced questions," said Robby Stein, VP of Product for Google Search, in the announcement.
The integration leverages Gemini's multimodal capabilities to analyze entire scenes in photos, including contextual relationships between objects and their specific attributes. The system then employs what Google calls a "query fan-out technique" to generate multiple search queries about both the overall image and specific objects within it.
In one example, Google showed how a user can take a photo of something like a bookshelf and ask for recommendations based on the visible titles. The system will identify each book, issue relevant queries about them, and provide contextual information with links for further exploration or purchasing.
The expansion comes as Google notes that AI Mode users entering queries that are twice as long as traditional Google searches. According to the company, people are primarily using the feature for exploratory questions and complex tasks like product comparisons, how-to guidance, and trip planning.
This rollout represents another step in Google's measured approach to integrating generative AI into its core search product. While still labeled as experimental within Google Labs, the expanded access suggests the company is gaining confidence in the technology's readiness for broader adoption.
If you are interested in trying the new capabilities, you can sign up through Google Labs, and access the feature through the Google app on both Android and iOS devices. As with previous AI Mode features, Google is actively soliciting user feedback to refine the experience further.