Google Search AI Mode Adds Conversational Visual Search and Shopping
Executive Summary
Google is launching a major update to AI Mode in Search, introducing a new conversational and multimodal visual exploration experience. This feature allows users to search with natural language or images to receive a range of visual results for inspiration and shopping. Users can then conversationally refine their search to turn vague ideas into specific visual concepts, aiming to make search more intuitive for queries that are difficult to describe with text alone.
Key Takeaways
* Conversational Visual Search: Users can ask questions naturally (e.g., "maximalist design inspiration for my bedroom") to get rich visual results.
* Multimodal Input: Search can be initiated with text, an uploaded image, or by taking a photo.
* Iterative Refinement: Search results can be narrowed down with conversational follow-up questions (e.g., "more options with dark tones").
* Integrated Shopping: Users can describe products they're looking for (e.g., "barrel jeans that aren’t too baggy") to receive shoppable options, bypassing traditional filters.
* Underlying Technology: The feature is powered by Gemini 2.5's multimodal capabilities and a new "visual search fan-out" technique for deeper image analysis.
* Availability: The new experience is rolling out in English in the U.S. starting this week.
Strategic Importance
This update integrates Google's advanced multimodal AI directly into its core search product, aiming to make visual discovery and e-commerce more intuitive and conversational, thereby strengthening its position in product search and discovery.