Google has just opened an extremely cool preview for an advanced new feature. This new feature blends AI Overviews with their existing AI Mode to make it even easier for users to interact with its Gemini AI. This latest change is just one of several improvements Google has rolled out since AI Mode first launched. It first rolled out for U.S. users in May 2025 and went global by August 2025.
This AI Mode is a very fast and direct way of working with Google’s new Gemini AI. It provides an interactive, dynamic conversation style experience, akin to what you might expect from products like ChatGPT. This interactive map makes it easier to find those key facts. Users can engage in conversation naturally without worrying about how to ask a question.
As Google representative Robby Stein explained, including accessibility from the start is a paradigm shift for technology. He stated,
“You shouldn’t have to think about where or how to ask your question.”
This method fits into Google’s larger project to make interaction with users and environments more natural and human through the use of technology. Stein further elaborated on this vision, saying,
“This brings us closer to our vision for Search: just ask whatever’s on your mind – no matter how long or complex – and find exactly what you need.”
User experience is significantly improved with the combination of AI Overviews and new AI Mode. It combines the best of both feature worlds for an intuitive in-car experience. In all this change, Google is clearly trying to provide users a more holistic and user-friendly way to find the information they need. This programmatic approach is expansive in scope.
The new blanket tech industry opposition to this extension despite our amendments shows that this is a trend worth pursuing. Clearly, tech companies are making serious efforts to improve the usability of these artificial intelligences. Google is hoping to differentiate itself in the cutthroat landscape of generative AI search technologies. They are taking their platform to the next level with state-of-the-art conversational intelligence.
Tech enthusiasts aren’t the only ones paying attention. Industry professionals are intrigued. Finally, as advocates, they understand the immense transformational effect these regulatory changes would have. Sarah Perez, a long-time tech reporter at TechCrunch since August 2011, has been closely following these exciting new developments. She carries with her a ton of contagious passion and enthusiasm, exuding it from her former ReadWriteWeb days. On top of that, she has a career in IT with experience in banking and retail.
If you have questions, or would like further insight into this unfolding story, contact Sarah Perez. You can reach her at sarahp@techcrunch.com or on Signal — using her TechCrunch handle, sarahperez.01 .
