Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google is now testing its new AI Mode button on its home page.
- Some Labs users see it replacing the I’m Feeling Lucky option, but the feature appears in different parts of the Search interface for others.
- AI Mode offers chatbot-style answers and could signal a bigger shift in how Google wants users to search.
One of the biggest threats that the rise of AI poses to traditional search engines is reducing the number of clicks the user makes from two to one. Google’s longstanding I’m Feeling Lucky button used to be the closest thing the tech giant offered to a one-click solution, but some users are now starting to see a new AI Mode button in its place.
As The Verge reports, Google’s previously announced plans to test the feature are now starting to materialize for users. Some people enrolled in Google’s Labs program are spotting it in different parts of the search interface — sometimes embedded directly in the search bar, other times replacing the I’m Feeling Lucky button beneath it. One example of AI Mode replacing I’m Feeling Lucky, from X user Glenn Gabe, is shown below. Another X user shared images of the option inside the search bar.
The design varies slightly between versions, but in some cases, the button is surrounded by a rotating rainbow border, either when hovered over or by default. This makes it stand out more than most elements on Google’s famously sparse homepage.
Google previously stated that these AI Mode tests would be limited to a “small percentage” of US users. Google spokesperson Ashley Thompson told The Verge, “We often test different ways for people to access our helpful features.”
AI Mode acts as a chatbot overlay on top of Google Search, offering conversational, AI-generated query responses. While this has been available via the Labs interface for a while, placing it front and center in Search suggests Google may be considering a bigger push — or even a future where it permanently replaces the I’m Feeling Lucky.
That button launched with the very first version of Google Search, but it would be understandable to replace it with AI Mode, given that the OG button is quickly becoming obsolete anyway.
