This is how real people search—fragmented across days, devices, moods, and mental models. Each search builds on the last, but traditional search treats them like isolated one-offs.

Users have to manually carry over what they’ve learned, synthesize across tabs and sources, and re-establish context every time they search.

Chima talked about this fragmented search experience in a previous article that you should definitely read.

Google's attempt to fix this is to engineer a system that remembers what you’ve already searched, predicts what you’ll need next, and walks you through complex decisions with AI support.

That system is AI Mode.

Announced publicly in Early 2025, AI Mode builds on AI Overviews but adds persistent memory and reasoning. It guides users through multi-step journeys by tracking query history and adapting to evolving context.

Screenshot of Google AI Mode search interface showing conversational search features
However, Google isn't just changing how search works; they are changing who controls information flow and how economic value is distributed across the entire web ecosystem.

With AI mode, Google becomes the web instead of a directional guide pointing people to the right resources. Publishers create content, Google's AI synthesizes it into answers, and users get what they need without having to click through.


SEOs and publishers bear the costs of research and content production while Google stands to capture more ad value on zero-click experiences.