Introduction to AI Search
AI search is rapidly changing the way people discover content and engage with brands. Logan Kilpatrick, Google’s lead product manager for AI products, suggested that "AI Mode" will become the default for Google Search "soon". If this happens, it could have a significant impact on the SEO industry, especially with over 100 million monthly active users searching in AI Mode.
AI Overviews Vs. AI Mode
AI Overviews are short, AI-generated summaries that appear above traditional search results for some queries. They provide quick, concise answers and save users time by reducing the need to click on links, reducing clicks and traffic to brands. On the other hand, AI Mode is a more advanced, interactive search experience that might replace the standard search results page in the future. It helps with complex, multi-step, or open-ended questions by providing a more comprehensive and conversational AI-powered response.
What Could Potentially Happen If AI Mode Becomes Default?
If Google decides to switch to AI Mode by default, brands will definitely see a decrease in organic traffic. Users will get direct answers to their queries and won’t need to click through to websites. With AI Overviews, this is a trend that we are already seeing happening, but if AI Mode becomes the default, this will further reduce clicks.
Brands May Rely More On Paid For Visibility
Currently, the way AI Mode is designed, there are no ads and no way for Google to monetize the interface, but that is all about to change. Google’s head of Search, Liz Reid, shared a look into how the company is navigating its transition into the AI era – and how it’s thinking about keeping its multibillion-dollar ad business alive. Google made $264.59 billion in ads in 2024, and it’s been growing year over year. Google is beginning to roll out ads in AI Mode, but it’s in its infancy.
A Potential Shift In Visibility And Discovery
AI search is causing us to move away from traditional SEO metrics, such as keyword rankings and click-through rates, to brand visibility and relevance. Your brand should be cited as the authoritative source for AI answers, and if your brand is not visible as the answer, then you will lose more clicks.
Measurement
Tracking the customer journey may become harder because users interact within the AI interface rather than on your brand’s website. Traditional analytics will provide fewer insights and will cause brands to develop new metrics focused on AI citations, brand mentions, and local visibility.
Loss Of Control Over Brand Narrative
Since AI Overviews are taking information from various online sources to build a brand’s presence, if your brand does not have a good brand strategy and has inconsistent, outdated, or poorly managed information across the web, then AI may inaccurately represent your brand across the web.
What Could Potentially Happen To Google Chrome?
If Google does go to full AI Mode by default, Chrome could potentially undergo a major transformation with deep integration of Gemini and other AI capabilities, which would change the web browsing experience from a passive tool to a proactive, intelligent assistant. According to eMarketer, Gemini is growing its user base faster than ChatGPT.
If Google Does Make AI Mode Default, What Can We Do?
To adapt to the potential changes, brands can:
- Experiment with AI paid ads when they become available and put aside some budget to test the impact and return on investment (ROI) of ads in AI Mode.
- Focus on making sure conversion funnels and processes are easy and provide a good user experience.
- Be present and have great content everywhere your audience is.
- Continue to optimize for AIO by creating high-quality, authoritative content that directly answers user questions, is well-structured, and easy for AI to understand.
Conclusion
The shift toward AI-powered search is happening fast, and it’s not just a hypothetical scenario. With AI Overviews and AI Mode gaining traction among over 100 million monthly users, Google is positioning itself for a future where conversational, answer-focused experiences may replace traditional search results. If AI Mode becomes the default search for Google, it will fundamentally reshape how brands earn visibility, traffic, and trust online. Brands that adapt early will be the market share leaders, and those that wait will lose visibility, traffic, and relevance. The key to success in this new era will be to focus on brand authority, AI citations, structured data, user trust signals, and multi-platform presence.