Google is officially introducing AI Mode in South Korea, bringing artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to its search service. The new AI-powered search experience, which provides both sophisticated reasoning and useful web links for complex questions, is now available for everyone to try for themselves.
AI Mode was first introduced as an experiment in the US earlier this year, and then rolled out to the general public after Google I/O 2025. After receiving positive reviews for its fast and sophisticated response, we're now expanding the feature to South Korea, where you don't need a Google Labs account to use it. Starting today, you'll see a new "AI Mode" tab in the search bar of Google apps and on our website.
AI Mode is powered by Google's latest language model, Semantic 2.5, and is designed to handle longer and more complex questions than traditional search at once. It automatically decomposes user questions into subtopics and then uses "query fan-out" technology, which runs multiple search queries simultaneously to extract key information. Users have found it particularly useful for product comparisons, travel planning, and searches that require complex explanations.
AI Mode also supports multimodal input, such as voice or images. For example, if you snap a photo of a menu at a restaurant abroad and ask, "Show me vegetarian options," it will not only translate, but also provide recommendations based on your requirements. This is made possible by the integration of Google Lens technology into AI mode.
These AI modes are part of Google's long-term strategy to redefine the nature of search. AI Overview, which is used by more than 1.5 billion people every month, is part of this shift, and we're seeing continued growth in the U.S. and India. AI Mode takes the experience one step further, enabling deeper exploration and more sophisticated responses.
Content discovery has also been enhanced. The AI mode goes beyond simple answers to present links and other forms of content to help users naturally engage with a broader range of information related to their questions, opening up new opportunities for both information providers and users.
Meanwhile, Google explained that AI Mode works on top of its existing quality and ranking systems, with a backup to show traditional web search results when confidence is low. It's still early days, so there are some limitations, but the company says it will continue to make improvements.
