The new Google AI mode: Like ChatGPT, Google becomes an answering machine – AI Mode EU rollout on the night of October 8, 2025

Now it's here: Google's answer to ChatGPT is revolutionizing search – what you need to know

On the night of October 8, 2025, Google flipped the switch and rolled out what is arguably the biggest change in its history in Europe. The new AI mode transforms the familiar search engine into a direct answer engine, strongly reminiscent of services like ChatGPT. Instead of a list of blue links, users now receive comprehensive answers to complex questions generated by the artificial intelligence Gemini 2.5 – from the perfect weekend planning to in-depth research tasks.

But what appears to users as a leap into the future of information search is turning out to be an existential threat for countless website operators, publishers, and journalists. Initial reports from the US and UK, where the feature has been available for some time, paint a grim picture of dramatically declining visitor numbers and a looming "traffic-destroying nightmare." With the delayed launch in over 40 European countries, after long regulatory hurdles imposed by EU laws, a new chapter of the internet is now beginning here as well – one that will forever change the rules of the game for digital marketing, the media landscape, and all of our search behavior.

What is Google AI Mode and how does it work?

Google AI Mode represents the biggest change in the search engine's history. What exactly is this new mode, and how does it differ from traditional Google search? AI Mode transforms Google from a traditional search engine that displays links to web pages into an interactive chatbot that provides direct answers to complex questions. This new feature leverages Google's advanced Gemini 2.5 models to understand natural language queries and generate comprehensive answers.

Unlike previous searches, where users had to choose from a list of blue links, AI mode presents instant, detailed answers in a conversational format. The technology uses a query fan-out process, in which a complex question is broken down into several sub-questions and processed simultaneously. This allows the AI ​​to gather information from various sources and compile it into a coherent answer.

AI Mode is accessed via a separate tab on the Google search results page or directly from the Google homepage. Users can ask longer, more complex questions than they were used to with traditional searches. According to Google data, the queries are already two to three times longer than conventional search queries. An example from the Google presentation illustrates the possibilities: Instead of searching for individual terms, users can ask complex questions such as "What can I do with friends in Edinburgh this weekend? We're big foodies who like music, but also chilled vibes and exploring off the beaten track." The AI ​​Mode then provides a complete weekend itinerary with restaurants, pubs, and attractions.

The European rollout and the delays

Why did AI Mode only come to Europe now, and what hurdles were encountered? AI Mode was originally introduced in the US in May 2024 and later made available in the UK and India. Europe had to wait until October 2025, even though Google had already rolled out the feature in over 180 other countries. The European Union was deliberately excluded, which Google and other technology companies attributed to the strict digital laws in that economic area.

The European rollout began on the night of October 8, 2025, and is being phased in across more than 40 countries, including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Sweden, and Poland. The rollout is happening in waves, as Google doesn't update all servers at the same time. All users in the EU should have access to the new feature by the end of the week.

The delay was due to regulatory reasons. Technology companies in the EU must clarify questions regarding data storage and processing, competition conditions, and the transparency of AI content before new features can be enabled. The EU AI Act and the Digital Services Act place high demands on AI systems, especially those with systemic impact. Google had to ensure that AI Mode complied with these regulations before a Europe-wide rollout was possible.

Interestingly, France remains excluded. Nick Fox, Senior Vice President at Google, explained on Twitter that "regulatory uncertainties in France" had hampered the launch of AI Overviews and AI Mode. Google hopes to resolve this situation but cannot yet provide a timeline for when the features will be available in France.

The technical basics and skills

What technology is behind AI Mode, and what makes it so powerful? AI Mode is based on a specially adapted version of Google's Gemini 2.5 Pro model, one of the company's most advanced AI systems. These models are so-called "thinking models" that are capable of working through their thought processes before responding, resulting in improved performance and increased accuracy.

Gemini 2.5 Pro features a context memory of one million tokens, soon to be expanded to two million. This means the system can process very large amounts of data and complex problems from various information sources, including text, audio, images, videos, and even entire code repositories. Multimodality allows users to search not only by text, but also by images, voice, or photos.

The advanced reasoning capabilities are reflected in its performance on various benchmarks. Gemini 2.5 Pro tops the LMArena rankings, which measure human preferences, and demonstrates strong performance in coding, math, and science benchmarks. On the SWE-Bench Verified, the industry standard for agentic code evaluations, the model achieves a score of 63.8 percent.

The system also leverages Google's decades of experience in search engine development. The same quality and security systems developed over 20 years for search rankings and anti-spam are also used in AI mode. This is intended to ensure that high-quality, trustworthy information is displayed.

Impact on website operators and publishers

What does AI Mode mean for companies, publishers, and other website operators that rely on Google traffic? The introduction of AI Mode poses an existential threat to many online business models. Studies and industry observations already show dramatic declines in website traffic since the introduction of AI Overviews and similar AI features.

DMG Media, which operates MailOnline and Metro, reported to the UK Competition and Markets Authority in July that AI Overviews had led to a drop in click-through rates of up to 89 percent. Other publishers reported traffic losses between 18 and 64 percent. Organic click-through rates can drop by up to 70 percent in the presence of AI Overviews.

AI mode exacerbates this problem even further. While AI Overviews at least still display links below the AI-generated summary, AI mode primarily presents the AI ​​response with significantly fewer external links. Barry Adams, founder of the SEO firm Polemic Digital, estimates that the number of clicks from AI mode to the web will be about half that of traditional search—"and that's the optimistic scenario."

This creates a fundamental dilemma for publishers and other content providers. They cannot opt ​​out of using their content for AI summaries without completely disappearing from Google search results. This effectively means that Google can use their content for AI training and answer generation without their explicit consent. This dependency creates what industry experts call a "traffic-destroying nightmare" for online publishers.

The impact varies by industry. Websites with informational content such as travel guides, health tips, product reviews, and recipes are particularly affected. News sites were initially less affected because AI Overviews weren't triggered by current news questions. However, the AI ​​mode can also react to breaking news and, in tests, delivered information about news stories as early as ten minutes after their publication.

The perspective of publishers and complaints

How are publishers and content providers reacting to this development? Reactions from the publishing industry range from concern to legal action. The Independent Publishers Alliance, together with the Movement for an Open Web and the British non-profit organization Foxglove, have filed a formal complaint with the European Commission and the UK Competition and Markets Authority.

The complaint, filed June 30, 2025, argues that Google is abusing its market power in online search by placing AI-generated summaries above traditional website links. The complainants allege that AI Overviews cause "significant harm to publishers, including news publishers, in the form of lost traffic, readership, and revenue."

Humphrey Sule, CEO of Hunt-Hills, describes the situation clearly: "This isn't just a technical problem—it's an existential threat to independent journalism and the open web." Rosa Curling, Co-Executive Director of Foxglove, demands that regulators "take a stand and allow independent journalism to opt out."

In Germany, NGOs, media associations, and publishers have also filed a formal complaint under the Digital Services Act against Google's AI Overviews. This coalition argues that the feature diverts traffic and revenue from independent media, increases the risk of disinformation through opaque systems, and threatens media diversity.

Publishers are demanding two specific changes from Google: First, the ability to opt out of crawling, scraping, and inclusion of their content for AI capabilities while continuing to index it in general search results. Second, fair compensation for all publisher content used for AI features.

Google's reaction and justification

How does Google defend its new AI strategy, and what arguments does it put forward? Google denies the publishers' allegations and emphasizes its continued commitment to driving traffic to websites. A Google spokesperson explained that the company "sends billions of clicks to websites every day." The new AI experiences in search will enable people to ask even more questions, creating new opportunities for content and businesses to be discovered.

CEO Sundar Pichai tried to calm fears by emphasizing, "If anything, what's become clear to us in the last year is that the breadth of where we send people is expanding. I expect that to be true for AI mode as well." Nick Fox, Senior Vice President of Knowledge and Information at Google, claims that "the web is thriving" and "there's probably no company more concerned about the health and future of the web than Google."

Hema Budaraju, VP of Product Management for Google Search, explained in a presentation to European journalists that the development takes local preferences and cultural nuances into account. She emphasized that AI Mode and AI Overviews display an AI snapshot along with links to the web and provide "very simple, direct ways for people to interact with web content."

In March, Google published an experiment purporting to show that news doesn't add any economic value to the company. The message was clear: Google can function without publishers, so publishers shouldn't complain. The company also argues that stable traffic numbers remain overall, but doesn't provide any concrete figures for the impact of its AI features.

Regarding liability for incorrect AI responses, Budaraju only referred to the structure of the function, without directly answering whether Google itself, as the publisher, was responsible. The question regarding transparency regarding training data for the Gemini models under the EU AI Act was not answered during the press conference.

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The regulatory challenge

What role do European digital laws and other regulatory measures play? The introduction of AI mode takes place in a complex regulatory environment shaped by the EU AI Act, the Digital Services Act, and national laws. Google has agreed to sign the voluntary EU AI Code of Practice, but at the same time expressed concerns about potential impacts on innovation.

The EU AI Act, the world's first comprehensive AI regulation, imposes specific requirements on Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) and Very Large Online Search Engines (VLOSEs) like Google. They must conduct annual systemic risk assessments, implement mitigation measures, and undergo independent audits. Violations can be punished with fines of up to 6 percent of global revenue—a potential burden of several billion dollars for Google.

The Digital Services Act supplements these regulations and requires large platforms to mitigate systemic risks, ensure algorithmic transparency, and avoid measures that undermine media diversity. The German complainants argue that AI Overviews violate these requirements by replacing outgoing links with Google's own synthesized answers.

However, Kent Walker, Google's President of Global Affairs, warned of the potential impact of the regulation. He fears that deviations from established EU copyright laws, approval delays, or requirements that reveal trade secrets could hinder European model development and implementation.

The regulatory landscape is further complicated by parallel antitrust proceedings against Google in the US, where the company is already facing two major cases involving search monopoly and ad tech dominance. The publishers' EU complaint marks a third potential major antitrust battle, but one that focuses on generative AI rather than traditional power plays.

Impact on SEO and digital marketing

How is AI mode changing search engine optimization and digital marketing strategies? The introduction of AI mode is turning traditional SEO practices on their head and forcing companies to fundamentally rethink their digital strategies. The previous focus on keyword optimization and backlinks is increasingly being replaced by the need to create content that AI systems perceive as authoritative and relevant.

Michael King, founder and CEO of content marketing and SEO agency iPullRank, explains that Google now ranks based on contextual relevance, not just keywords or backlinks. The system uses AI and vector embeddings to evaluate who created content, how trustworthy it is, and how it fits into the broader Knowledge Graph. Most SEO tools and practices haven't caught up yet.

Traditionally measuring click-through rates will become problematic because Google doesn't provide tracking metrics for AI Mode or AI Overviews. Advertisers and publishers will have to get used to new KPIs. Instead of focusing on clicks and volume, quality will become the new goal. For publishers, traffic or visits will no longer be the primary metric—instead, visibility and impressions will be the focus.

The SEO industry itself is facing a transformation. The SEO software industry, valued at $84.94 billion, is "on the verge of a major shift," according to experts. Traditional SEO consulting firms will have to adapt their business models or move into other areas. Jim Robinson, founder of Clickseed, is already shifting his business to B2B marketing, as he can no longer say with certainty that he can provide publishers with greater visibility.

The shift toward Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) instead of traditional SEO means companies need to structure their content specifically for AI systems. This requires a focus on direct, concise answers to user questions, as well as the implementation of schema markup and structured data to help AI systems better understand and categorize content.

The change in user behavior

How is AI Mode changing the way people search and consume information online? AI Mode is catalyzing a fundamental shift in user search behavior. Instead of asking short, keyword-based queries, users are formulating longer, natural language questions. Google reports that AI Mode users are asking queries that are two to three times longer than traditional search queries.

This shift reflects a broader trend that began even before AI mode. A survey conducted by The Verge at the end of March 2025 found that 61 percent of Generation Z and 53 percent of Millennials use AI tools instead of search engines. While Google holds a dominant 90 percent share of conventional search, the market for AI applications is significantly more competitive.

Users increasingly expect immediate, complete answers instead of a list of links they have to navigate themselves. This is leading to a dramatic increase in "zero-click" searches, where users get the information they want directly on the search results page without visiting external websites. Recent data shows that zero-click searches already account for 69 percent of all queries.

This shift in user behavior has profound implications for the information economy. Users are developing an expectation of AI-generated answers and may be losing the ability or willingness to research independently. As Google's head of search, Prabhakar Reid, explained: "We want users to not have to think." The ultimate goal is a personal, proactive assistant that provides answers before they even ask.

Economic and social implications

What long-term effects does AI mode have on the economy and society? Google's transformation into an AI-based answer machine has far-reaching economic consequences that extend beyond individual companies. The concentration of information power in a few AI platforms threatens the diversity of the digital ecosystem and could lead to an impoverishment of the information landscape.

AI mode poses an existential challenge for the media industry. Studies suggest that organic search traffic for publishers could decline by 25 percent by 2026. This development not only threatens individual businesses but also the democratic function of a free press. When publishers lose their funding base, the diversity of available information and opinions diminishes.

The reliance on AI-generated answers also poses societal risks. Since the training data and algorithms of AI systems are not fully transparent, there is a risk of bias and misinformation. The German complaint under the Digital Services Act warns of increased disinformation risks posed by opaque systems.

At the same time, Google predicts significant economic benefits from AI. The company projects that widespread AI implementation could boost Europe's economy by 8 percent annually by 2034, equivalent to approximately €1.4 trillion in economic value. However, these figures must be weighed against the potential losses in other sectors.

The changing information landscape also affects education and critical thinking. If AI systems increasingly provide ready-made answers, people could lose the ability to research independently, compare different sources, and critically examine information. This could lead to a decline in media literacy and increased susceptibility to manipulation.

The future of internet search

How might internet search evolve in the coming years? Google's AI Mode is just the beginning of a comprehensive transformation of the internet from a decentralized network of connected websites to a centralized system of AI-driven information distribution. Google's vision of a "personal, proactive assistant" points to a future in which AI systems anticipate user needs and proactively provide information even before it's requested.

Technological developments are already pointing the way. Google's Deep Research feature can independently perform complex research tasks by breaking them down into subtasks, searching the web, and synthesizing insights. Such capabilities are likely to continue to evolve and expand until AI systems function as comprehensive knowledge assistants.

Other technology companies are developing similar approaches. Meta is working on "Meta AI" features for social media, while Microsoft is vying for market share in AI-powered information search with Co-Pilot and OpenAI with ChatGPT. This competition is driving innovation but also increasing pressure on traditional websites and content providers.

Regulatory response is likely to increase as governments recognize the economic and societal impacts of AI dominance. The EU has already shown its willingness to take aggressive action, and other jurisdictions could follow suit. The ongoing antitrust proceedings against Google in the US could set precedents that influence future developments.

Adaptation strategies for companies and publishers

What strategies can companies and publishers develop to survive in this changing landscape? Adapting to AI-dominated search requires fundamental changes in business models and content strategies. Some publishers are already exploring content-sharing deals with AI companies as an additional revenue stream. The New York Times has signed a deal with Amazon to license editorial content and train AI platforms, while The Atlantic and others are collaborating with OpenAI.

However, such direct deals with AI companies are usually not accessible to smaller publishers and companies. They must develop alternative strategies to maintain visibility and relevance. Focusing on high-quality, unique content is becoming more important than ever as AI systems learn to distinguish between authoritative and superficial sources.

Diversifying traffic sources is becoming crucial. Companies should become less dependent on Google traffic and instead focus on direct relationships with their target audience. Newsletters, social media, podcasts, and other channels are gaining importance as alternative ways to reach consumers.

Technical adjustments are also necessary. Websites must be optimized for mobile devices and equipped with structured data to help AI systems better understand content. Implementing schema markup and optimizing for local searches can help you stay relevant in the reduced visibility of AI mode.

Critical assessment of the development

Is the transition to AI-based search positive or negative for society overall? Evaluating Google's AI Mode rollout requires a balance between efficiency and variety, between convenience and autonomy. Proponents argue that AI-based search saves users time and provides more relevant information. The ability to ask complex questions in natural language and receive immediate, comprehensive answers can promote education and productivity.

However, critics warn of the long-term consequences of an increasingly centralized information landscape. The concentration of information power in a few AI platforms could lead to an impoverishment of diversity of opinion and undermine the democratic foundations of an open society. The risk of algorithm bias and the lack of transparency of AI decisions reinforce these concerns.

The economic impacts are mixed. While some sectors could benefit from increased AI efficiency, others suffer from the loss of traditional business models. The media industry, which plays a central role in democratic societies, is particularly threatened. The loss of media diversity could have societal costs that outweigh individual efficiency gains.

The effects on human behavior and learning are not yet fully understood. Getting used to ready-made AI answers could weaken the ability for critical analysis and independent research. At the same time, AI-assisted search could break down educational barriers and democratize knowledge.

The answer to the question of overall benefits ultimately depends on how society deals with the challenges. Appropriate regulation that encourages innovation but prevents abuse of power could help harness the benefits of the AI ​​revolution while minimizing the risks. However, current developments show that without proactive measures, the negative impacts could outweigh the risks.

Google AI Mode represents a historic turning point in the evolution of the internet. While the technology offers impressive possibilities, it also threatens the foundations of the open web, which for decades has served as a foundation for innovation, diversity of opinion, and democratic discourse. The coming years will show whether society can find a way to harness the benefits of the AI ​​revolution without sacrificing the values ​​and structures that define a free and diverse information landscape.

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