Google Rolls Out AI Search Feature in the UK
Google has launched a new AI-powered search tool in the UK that changes how users interact with its search engine.
Called ‘AI Mode’, the feature generates conversational-style answers to queries instead of listing traditional blue links to websites.
AI Mode uses Google’s Gemini AI model and aims to handle more complex, natural-language questions. For example, instead of searching “clean carpet stain,” users can now ask, “I spilt coffee on my Berber carpet — what’s a pet-safe cleaner?
The new mode is optional.
It appears as a tab below the search box and next to ‘All’, which handles traditional queries.
Google’s latest AI tool has gone live for most UK users after rolling out in the US and India in recent weeks.
However, the fact that the new format offers quick answers with fewer outbound links worries some businesses and publishers that rely on search traffic.
A study by the Pew Research Centre found users clicked a link just 1% of the time when an AI summary was provided.
The Daily Mail also says its referral traffic has plummeted 50% since Google introduced AI Overviews (AIOs).
Critics argue this could disrupt the current ad model, where companies run ad campaigns for placements in traditional search results.
Google has yet to confirm if or how ads will appear in AI Mode and whether businesses can pay to feature in AI-generated answers.
Campaigners are also unhappy about the environmental impact due to the massive amount of resources AI uses to run.
Google is not daunted by the pushback, though. The tech giant says AI tools can help users explore information more naturally and that it’s committed to building them responsibly.