Google AI Search Could Become Your Default “Very Soon”
▼ Summary
– Google’s AI Mode will soon become the default search experience, as confirmed by Logan Kilpatrick on September 5, 2025.
– AI Mode provides comprehensive, AI-based answers using a “query fan-out” technique for deeper information exploration.
– It supports multimodal searches with text, voice, and images, and allows conversational follow-up questions.
– AI Mode data in Search Console is not easily trackable separately, as it is combined with normal search data.
– SEO professionals must adapt to these changes by experimenting and testing new strategies to remain relevant.
A significant shift in how we interact with the web appears imminent, as Google prepares to make its AI Mode the default search experience for users worldwide. This move signals a fundamental evolution in online information retrieval, moving beyond traditional links to AI-driven, conversational answers.
Logan Kilpatrick, a lead product manager at Google, recently hinted at this upcoming change in a social media post. When asked about AI Mode becoming the default search option, his response was brief but telling: “Soon.” This follows earlier statements from Google Search head Liz Reid, who emphasized that AI represents the future of search and that this transition would materialize by May 2025.
The company has already taken steps to streamline access to this feature. Instead of requiring users to navigate to Google.com and select the AI Mode tab, visiting google.com/ai now directs searchers straight into the AI-powered interface. This simplification suggests Google is priming its audience for a more integrated AI search experience.
Over recent months, Google has aggressively expanded the availability of AI Mode, launching it across 180 countries and territories. Major markets including the United States, the United Kingdom, and India now have full access, underscoring the global scale of this rollout.
So what exactly is AI Mode? It’s a dedicated search environment designed for complex queries where deeper analysis or multi-faceted exploration is beneficial. Rather than presenting a list of links, it delivers synthesized answers drawn from numerous sources. Using a method called “query fan-out,” the system performs several related searches at once across various subtopics and data repositories, then consolidates the findings into a coherent response. This approach aims to provide greater breadth and depth than conventional search.
The interface supports text, voice, and image inputs, reflecting its multimodal design. It also allows conversational follow-ups, much like the AI Overviews and Gemini features already familiar to many users.
For digital marketers and SEO professionals, this shift carries profound implications. Data from AI Mode searches is recorded in Search Console, but it’s grouped with standard search traffic rather than broken out separately. This complicates performance tracking and may muddy analytics, especially as AI Mode exits its experimental “Labs” phase in regions like India.
The central takeaway is clear: adaptation is no longer optional. SEO won’t disappear, but strategies must evolve to align with AI-driven search paradigms. Complaining about the changes won’t help, staying relevant means experimenting, learning, and iterating. The good news is that SEO professionals are famously agile, accustomed to pivoting with algorithmic shifts and emerging technologies. This community is well-equipped to navigate the new landscape, but those who resist change risk fading into irrelevance.
(Source: Search Engine Land)
