For years, internet users landing on Google's homepage have been greeted by a simple button: "I'm Feeling Lucky".
Clicking it was a digital leap of faith, bypassing the traditional search results page and whisking you directly to the top-ranked website.
However, this age-old feature may be on its way out, potentially replaced by a new experimental feature called "AI Mode".
"I'm Feeling 'AI Mode'"
The "I'm Feeling Lucky" button has been a part of Google's identity since its inception. It was a direct shortcut on Google's first homepage. Click it, and instead of seeing a list of search results, you'd go straight to the first website Google deemed most relevant to your search query.
Now, Google is testing "AI Mode", an experimental feature that uses the Gemini 2.0 language model to provide an AI-generated search experience. Instead of just a list of links, "AI Mode" aims to give you a more conversational, chatbot-like response to your queries, as if it's a knowledgeable AI assistant is directly answering your questions within the search results page itself.
Recently, some users in the US started seeing a new option called "AI Mode" appear right on their regular Google search page, replacing the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button. A Google spokesperson told The Verge that "AI Mode" is currently tucked away in their Google Labs environment, indicating it's still in the early stages of testing and may not see a wider release.
Potential Changes to Internet Browsing
Imagine asking a question about the best restaurants in Petaling Jaya and getting an AI-generated summary with recommendations, instead of sifting through multiple blog posts and reviews.
While this may be more direct and convenient, the traditional search results page does allow folks to have a proper look at different viewpoints and where the information's coming from. This new "AI Mode", though, could raise a few eyebrows when it comes to how accurate, unbiased, and transparent these synthesised answers actually are. By giving you just one AI-cooked answer, it might limit your ability to explore different options.
For now, "AI Mode" is currently an experiment, and there's no guarantee it will replace "I'm Feeling Lucky" or even roll out widely.
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News sources: The Verge
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