Review: Google AI Mode

Is the “Answer Engine” Finally Ready to Replace the “Search Engine”?

Verdict: Google’s AI integration has evolved from a hallucinating novelty into a terrifyingly capable research assistant. It is faster, smarter, and more intuitive than traditional browsing—but it comes at a cost to the open web that we are only just beginning to understand.

For two decades, “Googling” meant one thing: typing keywords, scanning a list of blue links, and clicking until you found an answer. That era is effectively over.

With the full maturity of Google AI Overviews and the dedicated AI Mode (powered by the latest Gemini updates), Google has completed its transformation from a signpost pointing you to information into a librarian that reads the books for you and summarizes the best parts.

After living with the fully rolled-out AI Mode for months, I’ve compared it directly to the “old school” method of browsing, as well as its major AI competitors. Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly of the new search experience.

The Experience: AI Mode vs. Traditional Browsing

To understand the shift, you have to look at intent. Traditional search was a tool for finding; AI Mode is a tool for knowing.

The Landscape: Google AI Mode vs. The Chatbots

It is crucial to understand that Google AI Mode (integrated search) is not the same as the Gemini App, nor is it identical to using ChatGPT. While they share underlying technology, their utility differs significantly.

1. Google AI Mode vs. Gemini App

• The Difference: Think of AI Mode as a “snapshot” and the Gemini App as a “conversation.” AI Mode is designed to answer you once and let you move on. The Gemini App is designed for back-and-forth iteration, creative writing, and complex problem-solving.
• The Verdict: Use AI Mode for quick facts (weather, sports scores, “how to fix a leaky tap”). Use the Gemini App when you need to draft an email, code an app, or brainstorm a marketing strategy.

2. Google AI Mode vs. ChatGPT (OpenAI)

• The Rivalry: ChatGPT remains the gold standard for “reasoning” and creative nuances. However, Google AI Mode wins on real-time friction.
• The Comparison: If you ask ChatGPT about a breaking news event, it has to browse the web, which can take a few seconds. Google AI Mode has that info indexed instantly. However, ChatGPT is far less likely to clutter your screen with ads and “sponsored” suggestions than Google’s interface.
• The Verdict: ChatGPT is a better thinking engine; Google AI is a better finding engine.

3. Google AI Mode vs. Microsoft Copilot

• The Mirror Image: Copilot is Microsoft’s version of AI Mode, powered by GPT-4 and Bing.
• The Comparison: Copilot is generally more aggressive about citing its sources, often placing footnotes directly in the text. Google AI Mode tends to blend information more seamlessly but makes it slightly harder to verify where a specific fact came from.
• The Verdict: Copilot feels more like an academic research tool; Google AI Mode feels more like a consumer convenience tool.

4. Google AI Mode vs. Grok (xAI)

• The Wildcard: Grok has a distinct advantage: access to the real-time firehose of X (formerly Twitter).
• The Comparison: If you want to know “Why is everyone talking about [Celebrity] right now?”, Grok is faster and captures the cultural “vibe” better than Google. Google will give you a news article; Grok will give you the gossip and the memes.
• The Verdict: Grok is superior for real-time cultural trends; Google AI dominates for evergreen utility and facts.

The Big Shift: Generative AI vs. The Old Web

Stepping back, how does this entire category of “Answer Engines” compare to the “Old Internet”?

The Pros: Why It’s Hard to Go Back

1. The “Zero-Click” Convenience is Addictive

The friction of the internet—pop-ups, cookie banners, paywalls, and slow-loading SEO recipes—is gone. In AI Mode, asking “Why is my sourdough bread dense?” gives you the three most likely chemical reasons immediately.

2. “Reasoning” is the Killer Feature

The standout feature of the 2025 update is “reasoning.” You can now ask multi-step questions like: “I have a meeting in London at 2 PM and need to be in Paris by 7 PM. What train should I take, and is there time for lunch near St. Pancras?” Traditional Google would give you a schedule; AI Mode gives you the specific train and restaurant suggestions with buffer times included.

3. Multimodal Fluency

It’s no longer just text. If you upload a photo of a broken shelving bracket and ask “How do I fix this?”, AI Mode identifies the part, finds a YouTube video, watches it, and summarizes the steps for you.

The Cons: The Hidden Costs

1. The “Hallucination” Hangover

While we are far past the early days of AI telling people to “eat rocks,” the system still gaslights you. In niche topics (e.g., debugging obscure code or localized legal advice), AI Mode often speaks with total confidence while being factually wrong. It flattens nuance, presenting a contested theory as a settled fact.

2. The Death of Serendipity

Traditional browsing was like wandering a library; you might pull a book you didn’t intend to. AI Mode is a vending machine. It is efficient, but sterile. You lose the context of who is saying something.

3. The Publisher Crisis

This is the ethical elephant in the room. By scraping websites to generate answers, Google is starving the very creators who feed it. If Google answers your question about “best running shoes,” you never visit the running blog that did the testing.

Real-World Test: The “Vacation Plan”

I tested both modes to plan a weekend trip to Queenstown.

• Traditional Search: I opened 12 tabs. TripAdvisor for hotels, a blog for hiking trails, Google Maps for distances, and a weather site. It took me 25 minutes to mentally collate the data into a plan.
• AI Mode: I prompted: “Plan a relaxing weekend in Queenstown for a couple who likes wine and light hiking, budget $500 NZD per day.”
  • Result: It generated a day-by-day itinerary, broke down the costs, and even noted that a specific winery required bookings weeks in advance.
  • Time taken: 45 seconds.

Conclusion

Google AI Mode is an undeniable technical marvel. For 80% of daily queries—checking facts, simple how-tos, and travel planning—it is vastly superior to the old “hunt and peck” method of browsing.

However, it turns the web into a faceless database. It sacrifices the “human” element of the internet—the voices, the distinct sources, and the serendipitous discovery—on the altar of efficiency.

Use AI Mode when: You have a specific question and need a fast, synthesized answer.

Use Traditional Search when: You are researching a serious topic (health/finance), want to hear human opinions (Reddit/Forums), or want to support the actual creators of the content.