Google says its AI Mode now has more than 1 billion monthly users, a scale comparable to ChatGPT, as the company places AI Mode entry points directly on the Google homepage and below AI Overviews. Research cited in September 2026 shows users write longer queries in AI Mode, trust its answers and click out far less, with significant consequences for publishers and retailers.
Quick Answer
Google's AI Mode has become one of the world's largest AI chatbots, largely because people are being routed into it from ordinary Google searches. Google says AI Mode now has more than 1 billion monthly users, a figure comparable to Sensor Tower's estimate of about 1 billion monthly active users for ChatGPT in May 2026, according to a TIME report published on 29 September 2026.
The change is less about a single launch and more about design: Google has made the path from a normal search into a chatbot conversation shorter and more visible. That shift is changing how people search and how much traffic reaches the rest of the web.
What Has Changed in Google Search
The path into AI Mode
For many queries, users now see:
- An AI Overview summary at the top of results.
- A follow-up bar inviting them to "Ask Anything".
- Clicking it opens AI Mode, a conversational interface powered by Google's Gemini models.
Earlier, this entry point was often tucked behind a "Show More" option. It is now more prominent, and Google has placed an AI Mode button on the Google homepage for many users.
A short history
| Year | Development |
|---|
| 2016 | Sundar Pichai declares Google an "AI-first" company |
| 2024 | AI Overviews roll out above traditional blue links |
| March 2025 | AI Mode introduced via Search Labs for subscribers in the US |
| 2025–2026 | AI Mode expands, gains multimodal and shopping features |
| 2026 | AI Mode surpasses 1 billion monthly users; homepage button appears |
How People Behave Differently in AI Mode
Growth Memo author and strategy adviser Kevin Indig, quoted by TIME, describes a sharp behavioural split between AI Overviews and AI Mode:
- With AI Overviews, many users still scroll down and click links to verify information.
- In AI Mode, queries are about three times longer than traditional searches.
- Users ask for different tasks: brainstorming essays, building study guides, planning trips and seeking financial guidance.
- They show high trust in the answers and tend to stay inside AI Mode instead of visiting websites, which means very few clicks.
Survey data supports the broader trend. A Pew Research Center poll this summer found that more Americans read AI summaries at the top of search results (60%) than use chatbots (49%).
New AI users by default
Google's vice president of product for Search, Robby Stein, told TIME that for some older users, AI Mode is their first experience of AI. Many people who would never create a separate chatbot account are now using one through Google.
The Impact on Publishers and Businesses
News publishers
- Similarweb data analysed by Axios shows US traffic to roughly 100 top news sites fell from above 70 million visits in 2024 to 47.6 million in July 2026. Not all of that decline is due to AI, but AI answers are a major factor.
- An Ahrefs study found AI Overviews were associated with a 58% reduction in click-through rate to top-ranking results.
- Unsealed documents in The New York Times' copyright case against OpenAI and Microsoft reportedly show both companies worried that AI answers could harm publishers and, ultimately, the quality of the web their models depend on.
Retailers and brands
- The share of people using AI to shop online has roughly doubled in under two years, according to Similarweb.
- When shopping happens inside an AI interface, retailers can lose the direct relationship with customers and the data that comes with site visits.
Google's response
Google says a healthy ecosystem of publishers and creators remains a priority and that it has significantly increased the number of links shown in AI response content trays. Stein described Google's goal as remaining the connective tissue between users and the web.
Which Sources AI Search Is Citing Now
Independent tracking suggests citation patterns are volatile:
- OtterlyAI, which runs 1,600 prompts daily across seven AI search engines, found social platforms received about 4.3% of AI citations in September 2026, down from 5.14% in August.
- Within that, LinkedIn citations rose about 39% during September, and Reddit rose about 9%.
- Google AI Mode's use of YouTube as a source climbed from about 4.2% in July to 6.0% in late August before falling back in September.
The lesson: visibility in AI answers can shift quickly as engines retune their source selection.
Why This Matters
- Search is becoming a conversation. Longer, multi-step queries replace short keyword searches.
- Traffic is no longer guaranteed. Being the source of an answer does not always mean getting the click.
- Google's distribution advantage. By embedding AI inside the world's most-used search engine, Google has turned existing search habits into chatbot usage, much as Instagram absorbed Snapchat's Stories format.
- Trust raises the stakes for accuracy. If users rarely verify answers, errors in AI responses matter more.
What Businesses and Content Creators Can Do
- Track AI visibility, not just rankings. Monitor whether your brand appears and is cited in AI Mode, AI Overviews and other AI engines.
- Answer complex, multi-part questions. AI Mode queries are longer and more task-oriented, so content should cover full problems, not isolated keywords.
- Build brand demand. Indig notes that people who research products in ChatGPT often go to Google to look up the brand, so brand recognition still drives traffic.
- Diversify traffic sources. Email newsletters, communities, apps and direct audiences reduce dependence on search clicks.
- Invest in original data and expertise. Unique research, first-hand experience and expert perspectives are harder for AI summaries to replace.
Key Facts
- 1 billion+: Google AI Mode monthly users (company figure).
- ~40%: share of US Google searches showing AI Overviews (Similarweb).
- 3x: length of AI Mode queries versus traditional searches.
- 58%: drop in click-through rate to the top result when AI Overviews appear (Ahrefs).
- 60% vs 49%: Americans reading AI summaries vs using chatbots (Pew).
What Happens Next
- Expect Google to keep expanding AI Mode entry points and features such as shopping and third-party app actions.
- Publishers are likely to push harder for licensing deals, legal remedies or technical controls over how their content is used.
- Measurement tools for "AI visibility" will become a standard part of digital marketing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Google AI Mode?
AI Mode is a conversational search feature inside Google Search, powered by Gemini, that answers complex and follow-up questions with AI-generated responses and links.
How many people use Google AI Mode?
Google says more than 1 billion people use AI Mode each month.
Is AI Mode the same as AI Overviews?
No. AI Overviews are summaries at the top of regular search results. AI Mode is a separate, chat-style interface for longer conversations.
Why are websites getting fewer clicks from Google?
AI summaries often answer the question directly, so fewer users click through. Studies link AI Overviews to a significant drop in click-through rates.
Does AI Mode replace SEO?
No, but it changes it. Businesses now need to be discoverable and citable within AI answers, not only ranked in blue links.
Conclusion
Google did not need users to seek out a chatbot; it brought the chatbot to them. With AI Mode now at the scale of ChatGPT, search behaviour is shifting toward longer conversations and fewer clicks. For publishers, retailers and marketers, the priority is adapting to a search experience where being cited, trusted and remembered matters as much as ranking.
Sources
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