‍Google is testing a new way for people to use AI in mobile search. The update connects AI Overviews with AI Mode so users can move between the two without leaving the main search results page. The company says the test is global on mobile.

Robby Stein, VP of Product for Google Search, shared the test on X. He explained that users will still see an AI Overview first, but follow-up questions can now open inside AI Mode on the same screen.

How the merged AI experience works

The change affects what happens after a user submits a search. When someone searches on mobile, the AI Overview still appears as the initial answer. From there, users can ask additional questions directly in AI Mode without navigating away. Previously, people had to open a separate space to use AI Mode, creating two different paths inside Search.

Ben Kaufman, AI Mode product manager at Google Search, said on X that AI Mode had previously felt like a “separate silo” outside the core search flow. His comment shows that Google is trying to merge these two experiences rather than present them as separate tools.

The change comes despite publishers’ traffic concerns

Google’s test also comes as publishers continue to express concerns about traffic drops linked to AI Overviews. Many news outlets and content creators say fewer users are clicking through to their websites because the AI response often appears at the top of the page.

With this new experiment placing AI Mode even closer to the main results, the search journey could become even more self-contained. That is what publishers have been flagging for months. They worry that more queries may begin and end inside Google’s interface. These concerns have pushed some publishers to start rethinking their strategies and how they appear in search. 

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