Google has announced a significant update to its experimental Search feature, AI Mode, allowing users to engage in natural, back-and-forth voice conversations. With the integration of a new capability known as Search Live, users can verbally ask complex, multi-part queries and receive AI-generated audio responses, facilitating more dynamic and conversational interactions compared to traditional search methods.
To use this feature, individuals open the Google app and press the newly introduced “Live” icon, allowing them to speak their questions directly. After receiving an audio reply from Google’s AI, they can seamlessly continue the dialogue by asking further questions out loud, maintaining a natural conversation flow.
This enhancement follows Google’s recent widespread launch of AI Mode throughout the United States, positioning the company to directly compete with prominent generative AI services like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Perplexity AI, each of which already features voice conversational capabilities.
Google envisions Search Live as particularly valuable for busy or mobile scenarios. Users multitasking can leverage it to ask practical questions and receive immediate guidance: for instance, before traveling, someone might ask, “How can I prevent a linen dress from wrinkling inside a suitcase?” followed up by, “If it still gets wrinkled, how can I fix it?” During these exchanges, helpful web links appear on the user’s screen, providing deeper insights into the topic discussed.
Unlike traditional search functions that require constant app activity, Search Live remains active even while users switch to other apps. Background operation ensures continuity in the conversation, making multitasking possible and efficient. Users also have the option to access transcripts of conversations, where they can continue to engage with AI Mode either through voice or by typing additional queries. Moreover, past Search Live sessions are saved into the user’s AI Mode history, making them reviewable and revisitable at any time.
According to Google’s Director of Product Management for Search, Liza Ma, Search Live leverages a specialized variant of Google’s Gemini model, optimized with advanced vocal processing capabilities. This custom model draws from Google’s established expertise in information quality, ensuring users receive reliable and accurate responses regardless of context. Furthermore, through its unique query fan-out strategy, Search Live delivers an expanded array of web results to users, encouraging deeper exploration and discovery.
Looking forward, Google has announced upcoming expansions for AI Mode. Among future functionalities teased at the recent Google I/O conference is a capability enabling users to pose questions about real-time visuals captured by their phone’s cameras, progressively transforming Search into an even more immersive and context-aware experience.
