Google AI Search Mode Opens Up to Free Users
More people can use Google's AI Search Mode without paying
Remember when Google unveiled its new AI-powered Search Mode back in early March, but it was only for the premium subscribers ($19.99/month)? Well, the good news is that free users who were on the waitlist are now starting to get access to this enhanced search experience.
Kelechi Edeh
According to various reports, users with free accounts who signed up for early access are now receiving emails from Google saying, "You're off the Waitlist!" This means that more people can now use this AI Search Mode, which helps you explore topics and get detailed answers created by AI. It's like having a smart assistant that does the work of comparing different websites and figuring things out for you.
AI Mode differs from regular Google Search by directly providing AI-generated answers using up-to-date information, instead of just listing websites. It's also more advanced than AI Overviews, handling more types of queries and complex questions with more sophisticated AI models. If you’ve gained access, you’ll spot the AI Mode shortcut on the Google app’s home screen or as a filter in search results. You can even ask follow-up questions in the same session for a smoother search experience.
This could give Google an even bigger edge over rivals like Microsoft's search engine, Bing, which integrates AI through Copilot. With Google already holding 89.62% of the market share for search engines in 2025 compared to Bing's 4.04%, according to industry statistics, offering AI Mode for free could widen that gap even more.
With AI Mode now in the hands of more users, Google is positioning itself to dominate the next wave of AI-driven search. The question now is how quickly competitors like Microsoft will respond.
Emmanuel Oyedeji
