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Google Rolls Out AI Mode With In-Depth Searches And Outfit Check Feature, Alongside New Subscription Plan

Google Rolls Out AI Mode With In-Depth Searches And Outfit Check Feature, Alongside New Subscription Plan

Geek Culture21-05-2025

Following a limited, opt-in experience in Labs, the home for artificial intelligence (AI) experiments at Google, AI Mode is now live. Touted as the company's 'most powerful AI search, it will be accessible via a new tab in Search and the search bar in the Google App in the coming weeks, offering more advanced reasoning and multimodality, and the ability to go deeper through follow-up questions and helpful web links.
The new feature, announced at the Google I/O 2025 event, is powered by the company's proprietary query fan-out technique, breaking down questions into subtopics and issuing a multitude of them simultaneously on the user's behalf. More thorough responses can be expected, with Deep Search gathering hundreds of searches, reasoning across loose threads of information, and piecing together a fully-cited reports in minutes – or so the claim goes.
Meanwhile, Search Live adds a visual element to the information-scouring process, allowing users to interact with the engine via Google Lens. Simply tap the 'Live' icon in AI Mode or in Lens, point the camera, and enquire about the subject for an explanation of tricky concepts, suggestions, and links to different resources including websites, videos, forums, and more.
Efficiency is also getting a boost in the form of agentic capabilities, designed to save time with tasks like purchasing tickets. As with Deep Search, AI Mode will look across sites to analyse potential options with real-time pricing and inventory, handle the tedious work of filling in the particulars – a welcome respite from the stress that comes with trying to edge out the competition in a race against the clock – and complete the purchase on the preferred platform.
The first wave of rollout extends to event tickets, restaurant reservations, and local appointments in the U.S, with Google joining forces with companies like Ticketmaster, StubHub, Resy, and Vagaro to ensure a smooth experience.
On an individual level, AI Mode now introduces personalised suggestions based on past searches, which can be managed in the personalisation settings at any time, and the option to connect other Google apps for more contextual understanding. Those who require help crunching numbers or visualising data will stand to benefit from the tool as well, as it analyses complex data sets and create accompanying graphics that are custom built for their specific query, beginning with the sports and finance sector.
Melding e-commerce with statistics is the AI Mode shopping experience that boasts over 50 million product listings and virtual-try on technology, powered by a new custom image generation model for fashion. Designed to understand the human body and nuances of clothing, such as how different materials fold, stretch and drape on various body types, it allows shoppers to preview outfits on themselves just by uploading a photo – the first of its kind working at this scale.
AI Mode is now available in the U.S., alongside the 'try on' experience in Search Labs. To access it, users can tap the 'try it on' icon on product listings in Google Search and upload a full-length photo of themselves.
Additionally, Google announced that a new subscription plan, Google AI Ultra, will join the existing AI Premium plan – now called Google AI Pro – in expanding its pool of capabilities. The former costs S$249.99 per month (with 50% off for the three months for first-time users) and includes the following: Gemini: Highest usage limits across Deep Research, video generation with Veo 2 and early access to the Veo 3 model, plus access to the enhanced reasoning mode, Deep Think in 2.5 Pro, in the coming weeks.
Highest usage limits across Deep Research, video generation with Veo 2 and early access to the Veo 3 model, plus access to the enhanced reasoning mode, Deep Think in 2.5 Pro, in the coming weeks. Flow: 1080p video generation and advanced camera controls in the new AI filmmaking tool custom-designed for Google DeepMind's most advanced models (Veo, Imagen, and Gemini).
1080p video generation and advanced camera controls in the new AI filmmaking tool custom-designed for Google DeepMind's most advanced models (Veo, Imagen, and Gemini). Whisk: Explores and visualises new ideas using both text and image prompts, with Whisk Animate turning the latter into eight-second videos with Veo 2.
Explores and visualises new ideas using both text and image prompts, with Whisk Animate turning the latter into eight-second videos with Veo 2. NotebookLM: Get access to the highest usage limits and enhanced model capabilities later this year, be it for studying, teaching or working on projects.
Get access to the highest usage limits and enhanced model capabilities later this year, be it for studying, teaching or working on projects. Gemini in Gmail, Docs, Vids, and more: Make everyday tasks easier with access to Gemini directly in apps like Gmail, Docs, Vids, and more.
Make everyday tasks easier with access to Gemini directly in apps like Gmail, Docs, Vids, and more. Gemini in Chrome: Early access to Gemini directly within the Chrome browser, allowing users to understand complex information and complete tasks on the web by using the context of the current page.
Early access to Gemini directly within the Chrome browser, allowing users to understand complex information and complete tasks on the web by using the context of the current page. Project Mariner: Agentic research prototype can manage up to 10 tasks simultaneously — from research to bookings and purchases — all from a single dashboard.
Agentic research prototype can manage up to 10 tasks simultaneously — from research to bookings and purchases — all from a single dashboard. YouTube Premium subscription
30 TB of storage across Google Photos, Drive and Gmail
As for Google AI Pro, subscribers will get access to Flow, Veo 2, and early access to Gemini in Chrome at no additional cost. The plan, priced at $19.99 per month, launches first in the U.S., with availability in more countries to follow. University students in Japan, Brazil, Indonesia, and the U.K. are entitled to free access to Google AI Pro for a school year, in addition to their U.S. counterparts.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth's theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia's greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really. AI Mode Google Google AI Ultra Google I/O 2025 Google search

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'Call of Duty: Black Ops 7' Brings Back David Mason For More Futuristic Shooter Action
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Mac Studio (M4 Max, 2025)
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Mac Studio (M4 Max, 2025)

If there's one thing Apple has proven with the Mac Studio, it's that size doesn't determine performance. Ever since the company shrunk its desktop from tower size to well, box size, it has taken great care to show that its premium performance tabletop machines have condensed pure muscle packed into a highly compact form factor, serving as an alternative for power users who want the might of the Mac Pro tower workstations but can do without the extra heft. Three generations in, and its legacy is still going strong, so it only stands to reason that the latest model, powered by the company's own M4 Max processor and the M3 Ultra – the first in the lineup to come equipped with two generations of chips – will continue in the same vein. Indeed, the 2025 iteration of the Mac Studio reinforces its status as a creative powerhouse, with upgraded hardware, generous connectivity, and impressive AI-driven capabilities improving on already sky-high standards. 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