Dive Brief:
- Google’s AI Overviews feature has 1.5 billion users every month, and that number is continuing to grow as the it expands to more countries, according to Alphabet executives on a Q1 2025 earnings call Thursday.
- Last month Google launched a public test of AI Mode with expanded overviews designed to assist with questions that require greater exploration, comparisons and reasoning. AI Mode queries have been twice as long as traditional search queries on average, according to Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai.
- “We are delivering consumer AI experiences across our product portfolio,” Pichai said on the call. “The primary way people experience it is obviously in search with AI Overviews. And it’s very early days with AI Mode, but that will be a consumer AI-forward experience and we're already seeing very positive feedback.”
Dive Insight:
While Google expects AI to improve search experiences as a whole, not every feature will provide value for every user.
The most advanced 10 million people using Google’s features have different goals and expectations than the rest of its users, according to Pichai. Currently, AI Mode is targeted at those high-performance users, but he expects some lessons from the test to shape the AI Overview experience overall.
“We want to innovate, and so I think this allows us to do that,” Pichai said during the call. “But the true north through all of this is user feedback, user satisfaction, user experience. And so that will determine where this all works out in the future.”
Google’s AI investments may come under scrutiny as part of a broader federal antitrust case. A judge ruled that Google holds a monopoly over publisher tools and ad exchanges last week, and the case has moved onto a hearing on the proposed remedies.
“The Trump administration has prioritized policies that support and advance artificial intelligence,” Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater said in her opening remarks Monday. “But nothing will advance AI faster than an open and competitive marketplace free from gatekeepers and monopolies.”
Recent research has found that a significant share of consumers aren’t yet comfortable with AI, though search offers a way to build trust.
Most consumers, 7 in 10, say generative AI makes it harder for them to trust what they see online, according to a Deloitte survey. Another two-thirds of respondents are concerned they could be fooled or scammed by generative AI content.
However, many customers are embracing the power of AI for certain journeys. Nearly half of consumers use AI tools for online shopping, according to an adMarketplace survey. The top benefits include personalized search results and access to image-based search.
Interest in image-based search was reflected in Google’s results. The number of monthly Google Lens searches has increased by 5 billion since October 2024, according to Pichai.
The company leaned into customer interest in image search with the launch of tailored search results for in-store shoppers last November. Users can take a picture of an item to see product information, price comparisons and a list of similar items that are in-stock at the store.
