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Google executives hint at a unified AI search interface

Alphabet's Q3 2025 earnings call revealed growing query volumes as industry experts predict major consolidation of AI features within months.

Luis Rijo

• 9 min read
Google logo split showing AI Mode and AI Overviews features with tech connectivity backgroundRetry
Google logo split showing AI Mode and AI Overviews features with tech connectivity background

Tom Critchlow posted on November 5, 2025, that Google would "do something radical early next year, something that looks like merging AI Mode and AI Overviews and Web Guide together." The EVP of Audience Growth at Raptive shared his prediction on social media, generating significant discussion among search marketing professionals about the future of Google's search interface. His speculation came one week after Alphabet's third quarter earnings call on October 29, 2025, where executives disclosed substantial growth in AI-powered search features.

According to the Q3 2025 earnings transcript, Google reported $102.3 billion in consolidated revenue, representing 16% year-over-year growth. CEO Sundar Pichai announced that Google processes over 1.3 quadrillion monthly tokens across all surfaces, more than 20 times growth in a year. The Gemini App reached over 650 million monthly active users during the quarter, with queries increasing 3x from Q2.

Pichai described AI as driving "an expansionary moment for Search" during the call. "As people learn what they can do with our new AI experiences, they are increasingly coming back to search more," he stated. The company disclosed that AI Overviews drive meaningful query growth, with effects becoming "even stronger in Q3 as users continue to learn that Google can answer more of their questions."

AI Mode performance metrics revealed substantial adoption since launch. Pichai reported that AI Mode "now has over 75 million daily active users" following global rollout across 40 languages in record time. The feature shipped over 100 improvements during Q3. The company confirmed that "AI Mode is already driving incremental total query growth for Search."

Critchlow's prediction referenced Google's homepage as evidence of directional changes. "Well, if Google's homepage is a preview for what's to come, they've already moved in that direction," Jon Samsel commented in response. Multiple industry professionals agreed with Critchlow's assessment, though opinions varied on implementation timing and consumer readiness.

The earnings call revealed that commercial query growth accompanied overall search volume increases. Philipp Schindler, SVP and Chief Business Officer, stated that "our investments in new AI experiences, such as AI Overviews and AI Mode, continue to drive growth in overall queries, including commercial queries, creating more opportunities for monetization."

Google rolled out AI Mode globally across 40 languages during Q3, according to Pichai's remarks. The feature launched in India on June 24, 2025, and extended to the United Kingdom on July 28, 2025. The company expanded AI Mode to over 40 countries and territories in October 2025, marking the most extensive geographical expansion since initial launch.

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Critchlow addressed monetization concerns in his post. "A common pushback is 'well they can't roll this out until they figure out how to put ads inside it' which makes sense, but if you believe Google directly (if!) then they can monetize it just fine by showing ads on top of the experience," he wrote. This assessment aligns with statements from the earnings call, where Schindler discussed advertising integration plans.

According to Schindler, Google began testing ads in AI Mode during Q3. "We're testing ads in AI Mode, and we'll continue to test and learn before we expand this any further," he stated during the analyst call. The company emphasized maintaining separate approaches for AI Overviews and AI Mode monetization.

For AI Overviews, Schindler explained that "even at our current baseline of ads, whether above, below, and within the AI response, overall, we see the monetization at approximately the same rate." This baseline provides foundation for further innovation in ad placement.

The company introduced AI Max in Search during September, according to Schindler's prepared remarks. "Rolled out globally in September, AI Max in Search is already used by hundreds of thousands of advertisers, currently making it the fastest-growing AI-powered Search Ads product," he stated. The product unlocked billions of net new queries in Q3 alone.

Architectural differences between AI Mode, AI Overviews, and Web Guide create technical challenges for unified implementation. AI Mode employs what Google describes as "query fan-out technique", breaking down user inquiries into multiple subtopics while simultaneously processing hundreds of related searches. AI Overviews provide concise summaries at the top of search results for specific queries. Web Guide uses AI to intelligently organize search results pages, grouping web pages according to specific aspects of user queries.

Query length differences distinguish AI Mode from traditional search. Pichai noted during the call that AI Mode queries "are typically twice the length of traditional search queries." User behavior patterns show people "are diving deeper into complex topics and asking questions nearly three times longer than traditional searches," according to October announcements from Google executives.

The company confirmed testing multiple AI search experiences simultaneously. A Google product manager indicated in September 2025 that AI Mode would become the default search experience, though executives later clarified this statement. Robby Stein, VP of Product for Google Search, emphasized Google's focus on "making it easy to access AI Mode for those who want it."

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Technical infrastructure supporting these features relies on Gemini models. The earnings call disclosed that Gemini 2.5 Pro powers enhanced capabilities within Search. "Our first party models, like Gemini, now process seven billion tokens per minute, via direct API use by our customers," Pichai stated.

Capital expenditure related to AI infrastructure reached $24 billion in Q3 2025, according to CFO Anat Ashkenazi. "The vast majority of our CapEx was invested in technical infrastructure, with approximately 60% of that investment in servers and 40% in data center and networking equipment," she explained. The company expects CapEx between $91 billion and $93 billion for 2025, increased from previous estimates of $85 billion.

Ashkenazi projected significant increases ahead. "Looking out to 2026, we expect a significant increase in CapEx and will provide more detail on our fourth quarter earnings call," she stated. Depreciation expenses increased $1.6 billion year-over-year to $5.6 billion in Q3, reflecting 41% growth rate.

Industry reactions to potential feature consolidation vary. Kastytis Bakanauskas commented on Critchlow's post that "AI search is soooo imperfect. And you think Google is betting on this? It could destroy the company." Others expressed confidence in Google's execution capabilities.

Traffic implications concern publishers. Research published in November 2025 showed organic click-through rates for informational queries featuring AI Overviews dropped 61% since mid-2024, according to analysis from Seer Interactive. The study examined 3,119 informational queries across 42 organizations, spanning 25.1 million organic impressions from June 2024 to September 2025.

Google maintains that clicks from AI Overviews deliver superior engagement quality. Liz Reid, VP and head of Google Search, stated in October 2025 that revenue with AI Overviews "has been relatively stable." Her explanation centered on offsetting factors: some queries generate fewer ad clicks when AI Overviews provide immediate answers, while the feature encourages users to conduct more searches overall.

The company faces competitive pressure from multiple directions. ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI-powered search alternatives continue gaining adoption. Traditional local search engines capture 78.7% of local business discovery activity, compared to 2.0% preferring AI assistants, according to Youtech survey data referenced during earnings discussions.

Chrome integration represents another development pathway. Pichai mentioned during the call that Google took "big steps to reimagine Chrome as a browser powered by AI through deep integrations with Gemini and AI Mode in Search, with more agentic capabilities coming soon." This suggests browser-level AI features could serve as unified access point.

Mobile implementation preceded desktop changes. Android and iOS users received prominent AI Mode buttons within their respective Google Search applications before desktop interface modifications. The company tested an AI Mode button positioned directly within the homepage search bar during June 2025 for users enrolled in Search Labs.

User satisfaction metrics support continued investment. "We can see it in user satisfaction, user quality, all our metrics," Pichai stated when discussing AI Overviews and AI Mode performance during analyst questions. The products resonated particularly strongly with early adopters who report high satisfaction and seek out the features repeatedly.

Global expansion continues systematically. The October rollout brought AI Mode to regions across the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Technical infrastructure behind AI Mode employs query fan-out technique to process user requests, dividing questions into subtopics and searching for each component simultaneously across multiple data sources.

Anat Ashkenazi addressed return on investment during the call. "We have a rigorous framework and approach by which we evaluate these long-term investments that are meant to do two things. One is to ensure we build a resilient growth profile for the company, but also that we meet the demand of the customers that we have here in the near and mid-term," she explained.

The marketing community faces substantial adjustments. Publishers struggle with optimization strategies as traditional SEO approaches focused on ranking individual pages become less relevant when AI systems synthesize information from multiple sources. Content creators must now optimize for inclusion within AI-generated summaries rather than solely pursuing top organic rankings.

Critchlow's November 5 post reflects growing consensus among search marketing professionals that Google plans significant changes to its search interface. His timing immediately following earnings disclosures suggests analysis of performance metrics and executive commentary about AI Mode adoption rates informed his prediction about early 2026 consolidation.

Timeline

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Summary

Who: Tom Critchlow, EVP of Audience Growth at Raptive, made predictions about Google's AI search consolidation plans after Google CEO Sundar Pichai and executives disclosed performance metrics during Alphabet's Q3 2025 earnings call on October 29, 2025.

What: Critchlow predicted Google would merge AI Mode, AI Overviews, and Web Guide into a unified interface early in 2026. Alphabet reported $102.3 billion in Q3 revenue, with AI Mode reaching 75 million daily active users and processing over 1.3 quadrillion monthly tokens across all surfaces.

When: Critchlow posted his prediction on November 5, 2025, one week after Alphabet held its Q3 2025 earnings call on October 29, 2025. Google rolled out AI Mode globally during Q3 2025, expanding to over 40 countries and territories in October 2025.

Where: The speculation originated on social media platforms, generating discussion among search marketing professionals globally. Google's AI Mode expansion reached users in over 200 countries and territories, with significant rollouts in India, the United Kingdom, Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa during 2025.

Why: The marketing community monitors potential search interface consolidation because unified AI experiences could fundamentally change how users interact with search results, affecting website traffic, advertising strategies, and content optimization approaches. Google's substantial capital expenditure increases ($91-93 billion projected for 2025, rising significantly in 2026) demonstrate commitment to AI infrastructure supporting these features. Competitive pressures from ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI-powered alternatives drive Google's rapid deployment schedule, while query growth metrics (AI Mode driving incremental search volume, queries 3x longer than traditional searches) provide business justification for continued investment in AI-powered search experiences.