Verdict
AI Mode sits one tap away in the Google search box and the Google app, costs nothing, and Google says it passed one billion monthly users in May 2026. Testers like it for messy multi-part questions but have caught it inventing a research paper and repeating a maker's marketing as advice. Searches and AI answers are used to train Google's models unless Search history is switched off.
Best for
Planning and comparison questions from people who already use Google
Skip if
Anyone who wants plain links, or who doesn't want searches used for AI training
Key facts
- Category
- Search & quick answers
- Made by
- Google LLC
- Based in
- United States
- Launched
- 2025
- Works on
- iPhone, Android, Web
- In the UK
- Yes
- Price from
- £18.99 a month
- Free plan
- Free with or without a Google account; history and personal features need sign-in
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Billed |
|---|---|---|
| Google AI Plus (400 GB) | £4.49 | month |
| Google AI Plus (2 TB) | £7.99 | month |
| Google AI Pro (5 TB) | £18.99 | month |
| Google AI Ultra | £79.99 | month |
| Google AI Ultra (20x Pro limits) | £189.99 | month |
What it does
- answers detailed questions with AI responses and web links
- takes questions by typing, voice or photo
- handles follow-up questions and keeps past searches
- holds live voice and video conversations through Search Live
- builds interactive visuals and simulations to explain topics
- tailors answers using connected Google apps (Personal Intelligence)
Ratings
What people say
user reviews is split. Some users say the free AI Mode beats the paid Gemini app on accuracy, while user threads complain that AI answers now crowd and even contaminate ordinary results. Store ratings are for the whole Google app, so they say little about AI Mode itself.
“the free "AI mode" in google search is giving me more accurate answers than the Gemini of my ultra paid plan”
Individual user review, 6 June 2026 · source
“Now Google AI mode is integrated in the Google Search. I feel we will all go back to Google for most of our analysis.”
Post on X, 21 February 2026 · source
“A year and ai mode is still terrible. … It literally feels like it poisons the entire search result with unrelated things”
Individual user review, 23 August 2026 · source
“AI mode has officially poisoned Google's regular search.”
Individual user review, 10 July 2026 · source
Press reviews
- Nielsen Norman Group 2025-10-17
Seven-person usability study found 'poor discoverability', confusion with Gemini and AI Overviews, 'thorough but overly long responses', and one invented neuroscience citation.
- Tom's Guide 2025-12-18
Alex Hughes calls himself an AI Mode convert, most useful for multi-step research with follow-ups.
- Tom's Guide 2025-09-15
Asked for gaming laptop picks, it 'fumbles the ball in a big way', with an outdated source and advice traced to Dell's own marketing page.
- Simon Willison's Weblog 2025-09-07
'Genuinely really good' and much faster than rival tools, but hides which searches it ran.
Privacy
- Trains on your data
- Yes by default when Search Services History (formerly Web & App Activity) is on; queries and AI responses may be read by human reviewers after being detached from the account
- Opt-out
- Turn off Search Services History in Google Account settings; future activity is then not used for AI training unless feedback is given. AI Mode history can be deleted from the AI Mode history panel
- Retention
- History kept for the auto-delete period chosen (or indefinitely); data used for AI training is kept up to 4 years, disconnected from the account
- Incidents
- UK CMA designated Google with strategic market status and on 3 Jun 2026 ordered a publisher opt-out from AI Overviews and AI Mode; a German court ruled in Jun 2026 that Google is liable for false AI Overview answers; Guardian (Jan 2026) reported AI Overviews cite YouTube more than medical sites for health queries. No user-data breach found in these searches.
- Age limit
- Google account 13+ in the UK for Search Labs; AI Mode personalization 18+; supervised child accounts managed through Family Link
Official videos
- Meet AI Mode - Try a whole new way to search 2025-06-02
- What’s New in Search 2026-05-19
FAQ
Is Google AI Mode available in the UK?
Yes. It launched in the UK on 28 July 2025 and the UK is on Google's list of supported countries. It appears as a tab in Google Search and in the Google app.
Is AI Mode free?
Yes. Paying for Google AI Pro (£18.99 a month) adds newer Gemini models, but the standard AI Mode costs nothing.
How do I turn off AI Mode or AI Overviews?
AI Mode is not the default, and ordinary results with blue links remain, Google told Press Gazette. AI Overviews have no off switch in Google's settings pages read for this record, and DuckDuckGo's CEO told Tom's Guide Google is 'force-feeding AI with no way to opt out'.
Does Google use my AI Mode searches to train AI?
Yes, if Search Services History is on. Turning it off stops future searches being used for training, and training data is kept up to 4 years.
Is AI Mode accurate?
Often, but not always. Testers caught an invented research citation and product advice copied from a manufacturer's page, so the linked sources are worth opening.
Scores are based on published evidence, not lab tests. How we score.
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