Google’s AI Mode Could Soon Become the Default—or Maybe Not

A single word from a Google employee-"Soon"-sparked speculation that AI Mode could become the search engine's default search experience.

As reported by Search Engine Land, Google Product Lead Logan Kilpatrick replied "Soon" last Friday to a post on X asking when AI Mode would become the default in Search.

To some, the statement suggested a major shift might be imminent. But two days later, Google VP Robby Stein downplayed the comment, saying on X not to read too much into it and that, "[W]e're focusing on making it easy to access AI Mode for those who want it."

And Kilpatrick followed up his initial tweet with a clarification, saying he wasn't suggesting that AI Mode was replacing Search:

Why It Matters

Even with mixed signals, Google continues to expand access to AI Mode. The feature-a separate tab in Search that's capable of multimodal input, conversational answers, and "query fan-out " to generate more comprehensive responses-has already rolled out in 180+ countries.

If AI Mode does become the default, it could reshape how search results appear, how people interact with Google, and how SEOs measure performance.

Right now, Google seems to be more focused on adoption than forcing all users into the new interface.

For SEOs, this is another reminder to adapt workflows around AI-driven search experiences. Tracking remains messy in Search Console because AI Mode queries aren't broken out separately-making it harder to understand how traffic from this feature compares with traditional search.

What You Can Do

Google's mixed signals make one thing clear: AI Mode is gaining ground, whether or not it becomes the search engine's default.

To stay ahead, treat it as a growing part of search behavior and adapt your workflows now:

Monitor visibility. Check how your content shows up in AI Mode results. This reveals gaps where competitors appear and you don't. And helps you understand which queries are most likely to trigger AI Mode responses.

Experiment with formats. Use those insights to test conversational queries, multimodal content (text and images), and content that emphasizes comparisons or analysis-areas highlighted as strengths of AI Mode.

Track performance over time. Make monitoring an ongoing habit. Continuous tracking shows whether your optimizations are working and keeps you agile if AI Mode expands further.

The Semrush AI SEO Toolkit can show you exactly how your brand is performing in AI Mode-and give you actionable insights to help you outperform the competition in AI Mode and other LLMs.

Use the toolkit to stay on top of how your brand is performing in AI Mode:

Understand how your share of voice compares to that of your competitors:

And much more. Try it today.