Google launches AI Mode search in India

Google commenced rolling out its AI Mode search experience to users in India on July 8, 2025, making the advanced artificial intelligence interface available without requiring experimental program enrollment. According to Hema Budaraju, Vice President of Product Management for Search, the rollout represents the first major international expansion of the feature beyond the United States market.

The announcement on July 8, 2025, eliminates the previous Labs signup requirement that restricted access during experimental phases. According to Budaraju, AI Mode now appears as a dedicated tab in Google Search and the Google mobile application, available exclusively in English for Indian users.

Summary

Who: Google, led by VP of Product Management Hema Budaraju and VP of Product Robby Stein, launched AI Mode for Indian users. The rollout affects millions of Google Search users in India who can now access advanced artificial intelligence search capabilities.

What: AI Mode is Google's most advanced search interface that uses artificial intelligence to process complex queries, provide synthesized responses from multiple sources, and support multimodal input through text, voice, camera, and image uploads. The feature employs "query fan-out technique" to break down user questions into subtopics and simultaneously process hundreds of related searches.

When: The announcement occurred on July 8, 2025, following successful experimental testing that began in June 2025. The rollout represents the first major international expansion of AI Mode beyond the United States market.

Where: The deployment covers all Google Search users in India, accessible through the Google Search application and google.com website. The feature appears as a dedicated tab within the search interface, requiring no additional software installation or Labs program enrollment.

Why: Google expanded AI Mode to India to make advanced search capabilities more accessible globally while responding to user demand for sophisticated query processing. The rollout follows encouraging feedback from experimental phases and represents part of Google's strategy to maintain search market leadership amid increasing competition from artificial intelligence platforms.

"Today, we're excited to begin rolling out AI Mode to everyone in India, making it easier than ever to ask Google anything you're curious about, get a helpful AI-powered response, and explore topics more deeply on the web," stated Budaraju in the official announcement.

The timing follows successful testing phases that began in June 2025. Budaraju confirmed that Google first introduced AI Mode in India as a controlled experiment through its Labs program. She described user response as "encouraging, with people appreciating its speed and the quality of the responses."

Technical capabilities of AI Mode include text-based queries, voice commands, and visual search through Google Lens integration. Users can capture images and receive comprehensive responses with contextual information about objects, locations, or concepts shown in photographs.

The feature maintains consistency with implementations previously deployed in the United States market. According to the documentation, users receive "rich, comprehensive response with helpful links, and dig deeper with follow-up questions" across all input methods.

Robby Stein, VP of Product at Google Search, confirmed the deployment through social media channels at 6:54 AM Eastern Time on July 8, 2025. "Search is shipping fast," Stein wrote, highlighting the system's ability to process complex questions and provide access to real-time search data.

AI Mode fundamentally differs from traditional search by employing what Google terms "query fan-out technique." The system breaks user inquiries into multiple subtopics while simultaneously processing hundreds of related searches to generate synthesized responses. This approach contrasts with conventional search algorithms that rank individual web pages based on relevance signals.

The rollout occurs as Google has been systematically expanding AI Mode across multiple markets, following its initial launch in the United States. The search giant previously made the feature available to all US users on May 1, 2025, after removing waitlist restrictions.

Recent developments include integration with Google Workspace accounts on July 2, 2025, extending access to business users throughout the United States. According to Nick Fox, Senior Vice President of Knowledge and Information at Google, the Workspace expansion reaches millions of enterprise subscribers who utilize organizational productivity suites.

The India deployment incorporates multimodal search capabilities that Google developed using its Gemini 2.5 artificial intelligence model. Technical infrastructure processes queries that typically measure twice the length of conventional search inputs, according to company data.

User behavior patterns demonstrate significant changes in query complexity. According to Stein's announcement, people utilize AI Mode for "diving deep into topics for learning to understanding complex how-tos." The conversational interface allows follow-up questions within the same session, eliminating the need for users to formulate new searches when seeking additional details.

Content optimization strategies for AI Mode visibility require fundamental shifts from traditional search engine optimization approaches. Publishers must focus on comprehensive topic authority rather than specific keyword targeting, as AI Mode synthesizes information from multiple sources to generate responses.

The expansion strategy reflects Google's response to competitive pressures from artificial intelligence tools gaining adoption in consumer and professional environments. Recent analysis indicates that AI search visitors demonstrate 4.4 times higher conversion value compared to traditional organic search visitors, though overall traffic volumes may decline as users receive answers directly from AI-generated summaries.

AI Mode integration with Search Console performance reports became effective on June 17, 2025, providing website owners with visibility into traffic from the enhanced search experience. The tracking implementation addresses concerns about data gaps affecting analytics accuracy for digital marketing professionals.

Visual interface improvements accompany the India rollout. The system displays interactive cards for products and local businesses, allowing users to access detailed information through tap gestures. These cards utilize Google's Shopping Graph technology, which contains listings from retailers worldwide.

According to company documentation, AI Mode enables users to "ask more complex questions and dig deeper on any topic" while receiving "high quality info with Google's real-time Search data." The feature supports multiple interaction methods including text input, voice commands, camera-based queries, and image uploads through Google Lens integration.

The search interface maintains connections to traditional web results through integrated links within AI-generated responses. Users can access source websites for additional information while receiving synthesized answers to complex inquiries.

Industry implications extend beyond consumer search behavior to content creation and digital marketing strategies. Domain analysis reveals that established authority sites like Wikipedia maintain strong representation in AI Mode results, suggesting that fundamental content quality principles continue driving visibility in artificial intelligence-powered search environments.

The India market represents a significant testing ground for international AI Mode deployment. User adoption patterns and feedback from the Indian rollout will likely influence Google's strategy for additional market expansions throughout 2025.

Technical requirements for AI Mode access include compatible devices running current versions of the Google Search application or web browsers accessing google.com. The feature operates through cloud-based processing rather than on-device computation, ensuring consistent performance across different hardware configurations.

Google's systematic approach to AI Mode deployment demonstrates measured expansion following user feedback integration. The company collected data from experimental phases to refine technical capabilities and user interface elements before broader releases.

The rollout timeline indicates Google's accelerated development cycle for artificial intelligence features. From initial US testing in March 2025 to international expansion by July 2025, the company has compressed traditional product development timelines significantly.

Market positioning implications suggest that Google aims to maintain search market leadership amid increasing competition from alternative artificial intelligence platforms. The India expansion represents the first major international deployment of Google's most advanced search interface.

User education efforts accompany the rollout through official documentation and support resources. Google provides guidance for maximizing AI Mode effectiveness across different query types and use cases.

The deployment infrastructure supports millions of concurrent users without requiring hardware upgrades or additional software installations. Cloud-based processing ensures consistent response times regardless of local device capabilities or network conditions.

Timeline

• March 5, 2025: Google introduces AI Mode as experimental feature for Google One AI Premium subscribers
• May 1, 2025: Google removes waitlist, making AI Mode available to all US users over 18 years old
• June 11, 2025: Google begins testing AI Mode button directly in homepage search bar for Search Labs users
• June 17, 2025: AI Mode traffic officially tracked in Search Console performance reports
• July 2, 2025: Google extends AI Mode to Workspace accounts across the United States
• July 8, 2025: Google announces AI Mode rollout for all users in India, available in English