Google’s AI Mode adds images as search giant tries to keep pace with rivals

Google is adding visual results to its artificial intelligence-powered search experience called AI Mode, the company announced on Tuesday.

The search giant rolled out AI Mode in the U.S. in May, launching primarily as a text-based tool that could answer questions using natural language. Now, if users are looking for inspiration or shopping help, AI Mode can also generate results in the form of images. 

Google has been racing to find ways to integrate generative AI into its search engine since OpenAI rocked the tech sector with the launch of its chatbot ChatGPT in late 2022. As its AI rivals have changed how users can seek information online, Google has had to keep up. 

The company’s updated visual results will provide users with a whole new set of use cases for AI Mode, especially since some queries aren’t suited for text-based answers, said Robby Stein, vice president of product management at Google Search.

“Sometimes what you’re looking for really just can’t be articulated with text,” Stein told reporters during a briefing. “If you ask about shopping for shoes, it’ll describe shoes when really people want visual inspiration, they want the ability to see what the model might be seeing.”

If users are looking for decor inspiration with AI Mode, for instance, they can enter a prompt like, “Show me a maximalist inspo for my bedroom,” and get a series of images in response. Users can further refine their results with follow ups, like asking to see more options with “bolder prints and dark tones,” Stein said. 

AI Mode can also generate visual results for shopping.

Users can search “Barrel jeans that aren’t too baggy,” for example, and see a range of shoppable options. Each image in AI Mode has a link, so users can click out to the retailer’s site to make a purchase if they choose, Google said. 

The company said AI Mode’s visual results combine capabilities from its AI model Gemini 2.5, Google Search, Lens and Image search.

“This is really, we think, a breakthrough in what’s possible,” Stein said.

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