Google launches AI Mode in India as first international expansion

Google has launched AI Mode in India as its first international expansion of the AI-powered search experience, making it available to all users in English after a successful two-week testing period. This marks a significant milestone in Google’s global AI strategy, bringing advanced conversational search capabilities to one of the world’s largest internet markets following the feature’s US debut at I/O 2025.

What you should know: AI Mode offers a more sophisticated search experience than traditional Google Search or AI Overviews, powered by a custom version of Gemini 2.5.

• The feature uses a “query fan-out technique” that breaks questions into subtopics and issues multiple queries simultaneously on behalf of users.
• It supports longer text prompts (2-3x the length of traditional searches), voice input with visual waveforms, and image uploads via Google Lens.
• Users can ask follow-up questions after receiving initial responses, creating a conversational search experience.

How it works: AI Mode leverages multiple data sources and advanced reasoning capabilities to provide comprehensive answers.

• The system draws from “fresh, real-time sources like the Knowledge Graph, info about the real world, and shopping data for billions of products.”
• Response surfaces show what links were used to answer questions, maintaining transparency.
• The multimodal experience is available through the Google app for Android and iOS, as well as at google.com/aimode.

Real-world example: Google demonstrated AI Mode’s capabilities with a plant identification scenario where users can upload an image and ask complex questions.

• A user could ask: “What’s this plant and give me instructions on how to repot and take care of it.”
• AI Mode identifies the plant visually and provides detailed, step-by-step responses with relevant article links.
• Follow-up questions like “Where should I place it in my home for best growth?” are seamlessly handled.

User adoption: Early testing results in India showed positive reception among users exploring diverse use cases.

• Google noted “encouraging” response rates, with users appreciating the speed and quality of responses.
• The company observed users “diving deep into topics for learning to understanding complex how-tos.”
• The feature transitioned from Search Labs experiment to full availability within two weeks.

Access methods: Users can access AI Mode through multiple entry points within Google’s search ecosystem.

• A new shortcut appears in the Search bar for direct access.
• AI Mode appears as a filter option alongside “All,” “Images,” and “News” on search results pages.
• A shortcut to launch AI Mode is available at the bottom of AI Overviews.

Why this matters: India represents a crucial testing ground for Google’s AI expansion strategy, serving as the gateway to international markets beyond the US while demonstrating the company’s commitment to making advanced AI search accessible globally.