Google has shared new details about how it designed and built AI Mode.
In a blog post, the company reveals the user research, design challenges, and testing that shaped its advanced AI search experience.
These insights may help you understand how Google creates AI-powered search tools. The details show Google’s shift from traditional keyword searches to natural language conversations.
User Behavior Drove AI Mode Creation
Google built AI Mode in response to the ways people were using AI Overviews.
Google’s research showed a disconnect between what searchers wanted and what was available.
Claudia Smith, UX Research Director at Google, explains:
“People saw the value in AI Overviews, but they didn’t know when they’d appear. They wanted them to be more predictable.”
The research also found people started asking longer questions. Traditional search wasn’t built to handle these types of queries well.
This shift in search behavior led to a question that drove AI Mode’s creation, explains Product Management Director Soufi Esmaeilzadeh:
“How do you reimagine a Search gen AI experience? What would that look like?”
AI “Power Users” Guided Development Process
Google’s UX research team identified the most important use cases as: exploratory advice, how-to guides, and local shopping assistance.
This insight helped the team understand what people wanted from AI-powered search.
Esmaeilzadeh explained the difference:
“Instead of relying on keywords, you can now pose complex questions in plain language, mirroring how you’d naturally express yourself.”
According to Esmaeilzadeh, early feedback suggests that the team’s approach was successful:
“They appreciate us not just finding information, but actively helping them organize and understand it in a highly consumable way, with help from our most intelligent AI models.”
Industry Concerns Around AI Mode
While Google presents an optimistic development story, industry experts are raising valid concerns.
John Shehata, founder of NewzDash, reports that sites are already “losing anywhere from 25 to 32% of all their traffic because of the new AI Overviews.” For news publishers, health queries show 26% AI Overview penetration.
Mordy Oberstein, founder of Unify Brand Marketing, analyzed Google’s I/O demonstration and found the examples weren’t as complex as presented. He shows how Google combined readily available information rather than showcasing advanced AI reasoning.
Google’s claims about improved user engagement have not been verified. During a recent press session, Google executives claimed AI search delivers “more qualified clicks” but admitted they have “no data to share” on these quality improvements.
Further, Google’s reporting systems don’t differentiate between clicks from traditional search, AI overviews, and AI mode. This makes independent verification impossible.
Shehata believes that the fundamental relationship between search and publishers is changing:
“The original model was Google: ‘Hey, we will show one or two lines from your article, and then we will give you back the traffic. You can monetize it over there.’ This agreement is broken now.”
What This Means
For SEO professionals and content marketers, Google’s insights reveal important changes ahead.
The shift from keyword targeting to conversational queries means content strategies need to focus on directly answering user questions rather than optimizing for specific terms.
The focus on exploratory advice, how-to content, and local help shows these content types may become more important in AI Mode results.
Shehata recommends that publishers focus on content with “deep analysis of a situation or an event” rather than commodity news that’s “available on hundreds and thousands of sites.”
He also notes a shift in success metrics: “Visibility, not traffic, is the new metric” because “in the new world, we will get less traffic.”
Looking Ahead
Esmaeilzadeh said significant work continues:
“We’re proud of the progress we’ve made, but we know there’s still a lot of work to do, and this user-centric approach will help us get there.”
Google confirmed that more AI Mode features shown at I/O 2025 will roll out in the coming weeks and months. This suggests the interface will keep evolving based on user feedback and usage patterns.
