**Google and Microsoft Enhance AI-Driven Search Features** The realms of search and artificial intelligence are increasingly merging, with AI models being increasingly utilized for search applications—sometimes specifically—and traditional search methods augmented by AI technology both on the web and within enterprise systems. For instance, Microsoft is harnessing its collaboration with OpenAI to implement advanced AI across coding, search, and many other areas. Similarly, Google has been equally committed to maintaining its dominance in search through innovative AI applications. Recent announcements from both tech giants showcase a range of new AI capabilities for their search platforms. **Google AI Updates and AI Mode** Last week, Google revealed its plans to "Expand AI Overviews and Introduce AI Mode. " AI Overviews represent a significant enhancement in Google Search, delivering AI-generated summaries at the top of search results. Concurrently, AI Mode is a novel experimental feature that offers a fully AI-driven experience, substituting traditional web results with AI-generated responses. This new functionality builds upon AI Overviews—previously known as the Search Generative Experience (SGE)—and reflects Google's ambition to create a more conversational and AI-led search environment. These developments were contextualized within the framework of Google's Gemini 2. 0 update. "As we rolled out AI Overviews, we've noted that power users seek AI responses for more of their inquiries, " Google stated. "Therefore, we’re launching an early experiment in Labs: AI Mode. This new search mode enhances what AI Overviews offer, featuring advanced reasoning, cognitive capabilities, and multimodal support, enabling assistance with more challenging questions.

You can inquire about anything on your mind and receive a beneficial AI-generated reply, along with the opportunity for follow-up questions and useful web links. " In summary, the key points from last week’s announcement include: - **Enhanced AI Overviews**: Google is broadening the extent of AI-generated summaries, known as AI Overviews, to tackle more complex questions. By integrating the advanced capabilities of Gemini 2. 0, these overviews offer enhanced reasoning and multimodal features, allowing users to receive detailed answers to intricate queries. - **Launch of AI Mode**: This experimental feature offers users an AI-focused search experience. When enabled, AI Mode provides comprehensive, conversational responses powered by Gemini 2. 0, facilitating deeper exploration of topics and fostering more interactive engagement. - **Phased Deployment**: AI Mode will initially be available to subscribers of Google One AI Premium in the U. S. , with plans for wider availability influenced by user feedback and ongoing testing. "The new AI Mode experiment in Search leverages the enhanced reasoning, cognitive capabilities, and multimodal features of Gemini 2. 0 to assist with challenging questions, " Google added. "You can pose any question and receive an AI-generated response, along with options to explore further through follow-up inquiries and valuable web links. AI Mode streamlines the process, intelligently organizing information and offering easily digestible summaries. " **Microsoft's Developments** Meanwhile, Microsoft is also advancing its AI search capabilities, often emphasizing developer tools for AI-enhanced search functionalities or integrating AI search into existing software. It has been regularly updating its Azure AI Search initiative, previously known as Azure Cognitive Search. Microsoft describes Azure AI Search as the recommended retrieval system for building Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)-based applications on Azure, featuring native integrations with the Azure OpenAI Service and Azure Machine Learning, as well as various strategies for relevance tuning.