Google's New AI Search Arrives in UK — Find Answers Fast, Fewer Websites
Your next Google search will look very different — here's the trade-off.
Google is launching AI Mode in the UK, a new search feature powered by its Gemini AI platform. Instead of showing the usual list of blue links to websites, AI Mode writes a single conversational answer to your question. The feature is optional for now, appearing as a tab and as an option within the search box. It has already launched in the US and India and is rolling out across the UK over the next few days.
For you, this means faster answers to specific, everyday questions. You could type "I spilled coffee on my Berber carpet, and I'm looking for a pet-friendly cleaner" and get a direct response rather than digging through pages. But there's a big change behind the scenes: AI answers contain far fewer links to other websites. That worries publishers and businesses that depend on Google sending them visitors.
The Daily Mail says its traffic from Google search results has fallen by around 50% on desktop and mobile since Google introduced its AI Overview feature. A Pew Research Centre study suggested people click a link only once in every 100 searches when an AI summary appears at the top. Google disputes that study and says AI helps people ask questions they couldn't easily express before. However, advertisers and news outlets are concerned, as fewer clicks means less ad revenue. Google says it has not finalised how advertising will work inside AI Mode.
The catch? AI-generated answers can be inaccurate, and people may stay on Google's page instead of visiting the original source of the information. Campaign group Foxglove says this undermines the business model of news organisations. Notably, AI Mode is not available in the EU due to strict legislation. As Google pushes ahead, the way you search — and how the internet makes money — is quietly being rewritten.
- AI Mode is optional and starts rolling out across the UK over the next few days, using Google's Gemini AI.
- Instead of blue links, you get a conversational answer — handy for complex questions but with far fewer website links.
- Publishers are worried: The Daily Mail says clicks from Google results dropped about 50%, and a Pew study found clicks occur only once in 100 searches when AI summaries appear.
Why It Matters
Your search results will shift from links to instant answers, changing how you discover websites and how they earn money.