Competitors are rising, traffic is in short supply! Google is testing "AI mode" in grayscale
Google search is undergoing a major transformation. Can the AI model save the traffic crisis?
Core content:
1. Google's "AI mode" grayscale test, a new search experience based on the large model Gemini
2. Competitive products are growing rapidly, and Google's traffic is facing downward pressure
3. The impact and challenges of the AI model on Google's advertising model
Recently, many careful users have discovered that their Google search homepage has quietly changed: the familiar "I'm Lucky" button is gone, and it has been replaced by an "AI Mode" button surrounded by a rainbow-colored border, which is particularly eye-catching on the Google homepage.
Google said it is conducting a small-scale grayscale test of the "AI mode" in its search business.
Taking the question “What is the difference between the sleep tracking ?” as an example, in AI mode, the big model uses a multi-step approach to make plans, conduct searches, and adjust subsequent plans based on the information found.
Nowadays, many competitors have adopted the "dialogue + reasoning" method to provide search. In comparison, Google's iteration is not really an innovation, and it can even be said to be late.
It’s not that I can’t, it’s that I just don’t want to.
It’s not that Google’s technology is inferior to others, but that the obstacles within the company are insurmountable : the search method based on dialogue + reasoning impacts the advertising business model on which Google relies.
What once served as the cornerstone of Google's success has now become the biggest stumbling block to innovation.
However, Google doesn't have much time to hesitate.
Data released by Similarweb, a website traffic monitoring and data analysis website, shows that in April 2025, ChatGPT.com became the only platform among the top ten websites in the world to achieve monthly positive growth. When the traffic of leading platforms such as Google and Youtube collectively declined, ChatGPT grew by 13% against the trend.
Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president, once said that Google search traffic on Apple devices has declined for the first time. He further pointed out that in the era of artificial intelligence, the entire search landscape is undergoing fundamental changes. Apple plans to integrate its Safari browser with artificial intelligence chatbots such as ChatGPT, Perplexity AI or Claude.
The news caused Google's stock price to plummet, and may have also prompted Google to start testing "AI mode" earlier.
Users will always need information, but will the way of retrieval still be the model that Google relies on for survival?
Will the AI model be a supplementary model for Google Search, or will it become the core model of Google in the future?
