Google AI Mode: How americans search with AI
AI & Search Marketing
Google AI Mode: data, trends and strategies for AI search.
One year after the launch of Google AI Mode in the United States, Google has published a report on how people are using its new AI-powered search experience. The data highlights an important shift: AI Mode has surpassed one billion monthly active users globally, queries have more than doubled every quarter since launch, and user behavior is changing significantly.
According to Google, AI-powered Search features are now the main driver behind record-high search volumes.
This article analyzes the key insights from Google’s report and translates them into practical implications for companies, e-commerce businesses and brands: what is changing in online search, why queries are becoming longer and more multimodal, and how SEO, AEO and GEO strategies must evolve in a context where visibility increasingly depends on being understood, summarized and cited by AI systems. It is worth remembering that American users often anticipate and influence the behaviors we later observe in Europe.
What is Google AI Mode?
Google AI Mode is Google’s conversational search experience that combines traditional Search capabilities with Gemini models. It allows users to ask longer, more contextual and detailed questions while receiving summarized answers, guided exploration paths and links to relevant web content.
The difference compared to traditional search is substantial: users no longer need to reduce their information needs to a keyword. They can ask directly what is on their mind, add context, ask follow-up questions, use images, voice or video, and turn search into a conversation.
In short: AI Mode shifts search from a keyword-and-results model to a model based on intent, conversation, synthesis and action.
The key figures from Google’s report
Google’s report on AI Mode usage in the United States captures a transformation that is already underway. While the data primarily refers to the U.S. market, it clearly points toward future developments in Europe and Italy as well.
global monthly active users reported by Google for AI Mode.
average AI Mode query length compared to traditional search.
average monthly growth in follow-up queries in the United States.
AI Mode searches are performed using non-text inputs such as images, voice, video or Live.
| Data point | What it means for brands |
|---|---|
| Longer queries | Content must answer complete questions, not just target isolated keywords. |
| Growing follow-ups | Search is becoming a multi-step journey, requiring content that supports deeper exploration. |
| Multimodality | Images, videos, alt text, structured data and visual assets are becoming part of organic visibility. |
| Conversational shopping | Product pages must become more descriptive, comprehensive and understandable by AI systems. |
How is search behavior changing?
The most important insight from the report is not simply the growth of AI Mode, but how users are changing the way they search. People are asking more natural, more specific and more intent-driven questions.
The most common words at the beginning of AI Mode queries are What, How, I, Is and Can. These are not traditional search engine keywords: they are conversational prompts. This fundamentally changes how content needs to be designed and structured.
| Traditional Search | AI Mode Search |
|---|---|
| Short keywords | Long, contextual questions |
| Results to compare | Summarized answers with exploration paths |
| Single search session | Conversation with follow-up questions |
| Primarily text-based | Text, voice, image and video inputs |
| Goal: find a page | Goal: obtain an answer or complete a task |
Search is not simply becoming smarter; it is becoming closer to how people think, decide and act.
Explore, Decide, Learn, Create, Do
Google organizes these new search behaviors into five categories: Explore, Decide, Learn, Create and Do. This framework is useful for businesses because it shows that AI Mode is not only used to gather information, but also to make decisions, learn new skills, create content and complete tasks.
Explore
Users look for ideas, inspiration, itineraries, recommendations and new ways to approach a topic.
Decide
AI Mode is used to compare alternatives, evaluate products, choose stores and support purchasing decisions.
Learn
People ask for explanations, tutorials, quizzes, insights and personalized learning paths.
Create / Do
Search becomes operational: creating images, documents, lists, routines, programs, plans and budgets.
The 10 most searched topics in AI Mode
Google’s report identifies ten recurring macro-topics within AI Mode searches. The ranking is particularly revealing because it shows that users are not relying on AI search only to find information, but also to create content, receive recommendations, compare options and complete practical tasks.
-
Creative / Content Generation
Writing, brainstorming, image editing and multimedia content creation. -
Media / Entertainment
Movies, TV series, gaming, music and concert tickets. -
Education / Knowledge
Information, learning, quizzes, explanations and study guides. -
Fashion / Beauty
Style advice, product reviews and shopping recommendations. -
Food / Drinks
Restaurants, bars, cafés and recommendations based on atmosphere, dietary preferences and context. -
Health / Wellness
Exercise, nutrition, wellbeing and health-related information. -
Technology / Coding
Hardware, configurations, reviews, programming and software development. -
Travel
Flights, hotels, transportation, local attractions and personalized itineraries. -
Productivity / Practical Tasks
Practical instructions, translations, everyday activities and organization. -
Personal / Professional Development
Career growth, personal development, education and personal finance.
Insight — Google is transforming search into a productive environment: for more than twenty years, search engines have primarily been used to find information. AI Mode introduces a significant change: users are no longer searching only for existing content, they are asking for content to be created. If this trend continues, an increasing share of the time currently spent on blogs, social networks and publishing platforms could be absorbed directly by the search interface itself.
The most significant finding is that creative generation ranks first. Users are not using AI Mode solely to discover existing content; they are using it to generate ideas, texts, images, documents, quizzes, messages and plans. According to the report, queries related to image creation in AI Mode have more than tripled since January 2026.
Insight — the creativity paradox: AI Mode is one of the first search environments where people are not just consuming content but actively asking the engine to produce it. If a user asks AI Mode to write a post, create a logo, prepare a quiz or generate a document, they spend less time on publishers’ websites and social platforms. For publishers and content-driven brands, this could reduce traditional organic traffic. The answer is not to produce more generic content, but content that AI cannot summarize without referring back to the original source: first-hand experiences, proprietary data, specialized analysis, case studies and unique perspectives.
AI Shopping: the new funnel starts with conversation
The report highlights an interesting pattern: users often begin their product research through traditional Search and then move into AI Mode to explore options, compare alternatives and clarify specific questions before making a decision.
The shopping categories generating the highest volume of follow-up conversations in AI Mode are, in order: Electronics, Books / Movies / Music, Apparel, Health / Beauty, Automotive, Home / Garden, Grocery, Home Improvement, Toys / Games and Sports / Outdoors.
The most requested product attributes during the purchasing process are price, location, color, brand, availability, size, material, style, product type and quality. This is not a minor detail: it shows that users rely on AI Mode to make their evaluation process more concrete and selective.
Insight — e-commerce is becoming a data source: in a conversational search environment, the product page is no longer just a sales page. It becomes an information source that can be read, compared and synthesized by AI systems. If attributes, availability, materials, sizes, images, reviews and FAQs are unclear, a product may never even make it into the shortlist generated by the assistant.
For online retailers, this means product pages must be optimized to answer complex contextual questions, not simply target keywords. An effective visibility strategy must combine SEO, product data, descriptive content, optimized imagery and AEO & GEO principles.
Insight — comparison websites may be among the first to suffer: for years, many websites have created value by aggregating product pages, reviews and side-by-side comparisons. If AI Mode can synthesize this information directly within the response, part of the traffic currently flowing to comparison engines, niche marketplaces and affiliate websites could decline significantly.
What changes for SEO, AEO and GEO?
AI Mode does not eliminate SEO, but it makes SEO alone insufficient. Organic visibility must now be designed across three levels: search engine rankings, answer engine visibility and the likelihood of being cited or included in AI-generated responses.
SEO
Remains essential for technical structure, indexability, performance, content quality, information architecture and domain authority.
AEO
Focuses on creating clear, concise and structured answers that can be understood by answer engines, AI assistants and conversational systems.
GEO
Works to increase the probability that a brand, content asset or source will be included in AI-generated answers.
Agentic Readiness
Prepares content, data and digital touchpoints to be understood and used by AI agents capable of taking actions on behalf of users.
Why product pages are becoming critical
According to Google’s report, shopping-related conversations focus heavily on attributes such as price, location, color, brand, availability, size, material, style, product type and quality.
This means that a generic product page designed only to sell is no longer enough. It must become a comprehensive source of information capable of answering the questions a user might ask an AI assistant before making a purchase.
We explore this topic in greater detail in our guide to AEO and GEO, where we explain how to increase the likelihood that content, products and brands are understood and cited by AI systems.
For an e-commerce business, optimizing for AI Mode means making every product understandable, comparable and citable: comprehensive descriptions, clear attributes, optimized images, product FAQs, availability information, variants, materials, instructions, reviews and structured data.
HT&T’s framework for visibility in the AI era
Addressing this new landscape requires a broader operational model than traditional SEO. At HT&T Consulting, we see it as a five-layer framework designed to make brands discoverable, understandable, citable and competitive within AI-powered search environments.
Discoverability
Making websites technically accessible, indexable, fast and well-structured for Google and other search engines.
Answerability
Creating content that directly answers users’ questions and supports AI assistants in generating responses.
Citability
Producing authoritative, original and verifiable content that can be referenced by generative AI systems.
Multimodal Readiness
Optimizing images, videos, alt text, product data and visual content for search experiences that extend beyond text.
Conversion & Trust
Transforming visibility into trust, qualified traffic, leads, sales and measurable business relationships.
Measuring how users interact with content becomes even more important in this environment. This is why solutions such as Web Analytics, Reporting & Data Visualization and Data Warehouse play a central role in the decision-making process.
Operational checklist for companies and brands
The question is no longer simply “Are we ranking on Google?” but rather “Are we clear, authoritative and structured enough to be understood and cited by AI systems?”
Move beyond a keyword-only mindset and build content around complex search intents.
Use clear headings, direct answers, tables, FAQs, data and executive summaries.
Use descriptive file names, alt text, captions, transcripts and strong semantic context.
Include materials, dimensions, availability, use cases, variants, FAQs and structured data.
Create specialized content, guides, reports, glossaries, benchmarks and proprietary analysis.
Check whether your brand is cited by ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, AI Mode and other generative search systems.
To learn more about this approach, explore our dedicated pages on AEO & GEO, SEO and AI & Automation.
What does this mean for the Italian market?
The report’s data refers to the United States, but the trend also affects Italian companies. The key challenge is not predicting exactly when AI Mode will become dominant in Italy, but preparing for a search ecosystem that is increasingly conversational, multimodal and mediated by artificial intelligence.
For Italian brands, especially in e-commerce, fashion, beauty, furniture, travel, industrial B2B and professional services, this is the right time to focus on the quality of digital information. Companies that already provide clear, specialized, structured and authoritative content will have a greater chance of being included in future search experiences.
The SEO of the future will be a competition based on trust, clarity and semantic relevance.
Massimiliano Baldocchi, HT&T Consulting
Conclusion: from keywords to trust
Google AI Mode confirms a trend that is becoming increasingly clear: search is no longer just a list of results, but a conversational environment where users ask, compare, explore and take action.
To better understand how artificial intelligence is transforming discovery and digital visibility, explore our AI Observatory: The Future of Visibility in the Age of Synthesis.
This does not make SEO obsolete. On the contrary, it makes it more strategic. But it also forces SEO to evolve: being indexed is no longer enough; brands must be understandable. Attracting traffic is no longer enough; brands must be citable. Publishing content is no longer enough; brands must build authority.
In this context, SEO continues to play a fundamental role: technical structure, content quality, authority and information architecture remain the foundation of any AI visibility strategy. Learn more about our Search Engine Optimization services.
Insight — the real winner may not be the company with the best SEO: for years, online visibility has been a competition for rankings. In a world increasingly dominated by synthesized answers, it may become more important to be recognized as a trusted source than to rank first for a specific keyword. Brand authority could matter more than the ranking of a single page.
Companies that begin investing in SEO, AEO and GEO today will gain a tangible competitive advantage. Those that remain tied to generic content, keyword stuffing and low-value pages risk losing visibility not only on Google, but across the entire AI search ecosystem.
FAQ about Google AI Mode, SEO, AEO and GEO
What is Google AI Mode?
Google AI Mode is Google’s conversational search experience powered by Gemini models. It allows users to ask complex questions, receive summarized answers and continue their research through follow-up interactions.
Will AI Mode replace traditional Google Search?
Not necessarily in the short term. It is more accurate to say that AI Mode complements and transforms Search, shifting a growing share of queries toward more conversational, multimodal and answer-oriented experiences.
How does AI Mode change SEO?
SEO must evolve from simple keyword optimization to the creation of useful, structured and authoritative content capable of answering complex questions.
What is the difference between SEO, AEO and GEO?
SEO focuses on search engine rankings. AEO optimizes content for answer engines. GEO aims to make brands and content more likely to be cited in AI-generated responses.
Why are AI Mode queries longer?
Users no longer need to reduce their needs to a keyword. They can express exactly what they want to know while adding context, preferences and constraints.
What does multimodal search mean?
Multimodal search allows users to search through text, images, voice, video or live interactions. This increases the importance of optimizing visual content and structured data.
How can an e-commerce business optimize for AI Mode?
An e-commerce site should invest in comprehensive product pages, clear attributes, FAQs, optimized images, reviews, availability data, structured data and content that helps users compare and decide.
Will AI Mode reduce organic traffic to websites?
Some informational searches may generate fewer clicks because users can receive answers directly within the AI experience. This makes original, authoritative and difficult-to-summarize content even more important.
Which industries will be most affected?
The most affected industries are those where users seek recommendations, comparisons and guided decision-making, including e-commerce, fashion, beauty, electronics, travel, food, healthcare, education, technology and professional services.
How can a brand monitor its visibility in AI systems?
Brands can periodically check whether they are cited by ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, AI Mode and other generative environments for strategic queries related to their industry, products and competitors.
Want to understand how ready your brand is for AI-powered search?
HT&T Consulting helps companies, e-commerce businesses and B2B brands build SEO, AEO and GEO strategies designed for the next generation of digital visibility.
References and Sources
Google Search – AI Mode U.S. Insights
Official report published by Google one year after the launch of AI Mode in the United States. It includes data on adoption, evolving search behaviors, query patterns and the most common use cases observed among users.
Google Search Central
Google’s official documentation covering SEO, structured data, indexing, crawling and best practices for improving content discoverability and understanding.
Google AI Blog
Google’s official AI blog featuring updates on Gemini, Search, AI agents and emerging generative experiences.
AEO & GEO: visibility in answer engines and generative search
A deep dive into Answer Engine Optimization and Generative Engine Optimization strategies designed to increase the probability of being understood, cited and recommended by AI systems.
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