Chrome may soon get AI Mode for direct answers in your browser's search bar
The AI Mode icon appears near the existing voice and image search buttons (spotted by the Windows Report) on the Chrome New Tab page. When users click the icon, a text box opens where they can type questions or prompts. The system then provides an AI-generated response, which will let users interact and follow up easily within the browser itself.
Also read: Snap to launch smart glasses for users in 2026 in challenge to Meta
However, not all users will have immediate access. According to reports from a leaker, Leopeva64, Google requires users to meet specific criteria to enable AI Mode. Those who do not qualify will see a page explaining the feature with a link to more information.
This test adds another option to access Google's AI-powered search, which is already available through the Google app and via a dedicated web address at google.com/aimode. The integration into Chrome could make AI tools more accessible during everyday browsing.
Also read: Nintendo sells record 3.5 million Switch 2 consoles in four days
In other news, Google is undergoing workforce changes amid ongoing business shifts. The company has offered voluntary buyouts to many employees across key divisions, including search, advertising, research, and engineering. These moves come as Google prepares for a court ruling that could impact its current structure. The exact number of employees affected has not been disclosed.
Also read: OpenAI taps Google in unprecedented cloud deal despite AI rivalry
A company spokesperson, Courtenay Mencini, clarified that some groups had already introduced voluntary exit programs with severance packages earlier this year. More teams have recently adopted similar programs to manage resources while focusing on future initiatives. Additionally, Google is encouraging remote workers living near its offices to return to hybrid work models, aiming to increase in-person collaboration among employees.
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Time of India
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- Time of India
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Internal reshuffle Starting in 2019, Google began cutting ties with some of its external lobbying firms, a move it acknowledged publicly as part of an overhaul of its Washington operations. But the shuffling of external lobbying firms doesn't explain the whole of the decline in Google's reported lobbying expenses, which fell from more than $22 million in 2018 to $8.9 million in the Covid-disrupted year of 2020, and have subsequently remained well below pre-pandemic levels. There's been another, quieter change: in early 2020, Google moved its in-house lobbyists into a new subsidiary, called Google Client Services LLC. It's that unit which now files spending disclosures for Google's lobbying activities. The reorganization meant that the parent companies Google and Alphabet no longer directly employed any lobbyists – defined under federal disclosure law as people spending at least 20% of their time on influencing Congress or the executive branch. 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- Time of India
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Time of India
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- Time of India
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