Prime Highlights
- Google swaps out its default Doodle with an animated spotlight on its Gemini-powered “AI Mode” to raise visibility into conversational search.
- It’s the first time homepage real estate has been used to highlight a core product feature prominently.
Key Facts
- AI Mode enables voice, text, and image-based search for AI-powered dynamic search results powered by Gemini.
- The promo banner indicates Google’s move away from old-school search and toward AI-powered, multimodal interaction.
Key Background
July 3, 2025, saw Google reimagine its homepage by swapping out the classic Doodle for a dynamic call-to-action, which took people to “AI Mode,” its Gemini-powered conversational search mode. This is Google’s most daring effort yet to upgrade its AI fare and transform the search experience into a wiser, more intuitive form. Unlike the typical celebratory or creative doodles, this one was created with the intention of promoting use of a product closely associated with Google’s vision for AI over the long term.
“AI Mode” debuted in March and features Gemini, Google’s latest large language model. Users can chat with search, responding to complex, multi-step questions and providing synthesized, contextual answers. In addition to standard text entry, AI Mode also supports voice and image-based searches, providing a multimodal, flexible search experience distinct from that of traditional search engines. It puts AI interaction at the forefront of ordinary digital activity—searching.
Google’s move to promote AI Mode on one of its highest-traffic web properties indicates the desperation of its competitive landscape in the global AI competition. Faced with growing threats from offerings such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity, Google is declaring its commitment to being the industry leader in AI innovation. The visual marketing not only increases the company’s profile but indirectly encourages users to start adapting to a new paradigm of information search.
This move underscores a wider shift in Google’s vision for the search future. Beyond the familiar links list, the company is working toward a future where smart, Gemini-driven answers are at the heart of user experience. By putting AI Mode front and center on the homepage, Google doubles down on its message: conversational, AI-first search is the search future, and deeply integrated into how we engage with information.
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