Tech Desk 
Jun 07, 2025
Google is making it easier for Pixel fans to enjoy its new AI Mode – a smart feature that brings Gemini-powered answers into Search.
AI Mode is Google's latest move to use Search better. It makes use of Gemini, Google's latest AI model, to provide AI-generated answers that are based on information from the web.
It aims to improve the speed of search, make search more helpful, and make search more conversational. Just last month, Google introduced this AI search experience to anyone in the US that wants it.
However, Google is pushing it even further by adding a shortcut to AI Mode in the Pixel launcher.
According to 9to5Google, the new AI Mode icon has started appearing in the search bar on the Pixel phones' home screens, in the bottom bar of the home screen.
The search bar previously had shortcuts for Google Lens and voice search, and as a result of this new feature, there's the ability to go straight into Gemini's smart responses without launching a browser or going through multiple steps.
This update is still in the early stages. Only a small number of Pixel users have seen the shortcut appear so far, and Google hasn’t officially announced a wider rollout.
For those who don’t see the icon yet, AI Mode can still be accessed through the regular Google Search app, it just takes one extra tap.
