Google is trying to beat ChatGPT at its own game
Matt V
May 22, 2025
After 25 years of showing ten blue links, Google is changing things up.
It’s launching AI Mode, a chatbot-style tool built into Search that lets you ask a question, follow up with more, and get full responses straight from its AI system.
No need to scroll through endless links if you don’t want to.
This is part of a much wider AI push.
From email replies that match your writing style to shopping tools that automatically buy items when they go on sale, Google is putting Gemini, its latest AI model, at the centre of everything.
No more blue links
It’s also a strategic move to stay ahead of rivals like OpenAI, which’ve shaken up how we find information online.
That said, not everyone’s thrilled.
Publishers are worried about losing web traffic.
Advertisers are waiting to see how this all fits in.
And with search alone pulling in nearly $200 billion for Google last year, there’s a lot at stake, especially with regulators circling and users slowly turning to AI tools instead of classic search.
The new features include:
Gemini 2.5 Pro, powering smart Gmail replies, inbox cleanups, and AI-led shopping chats
A $250/month developer tier, giving access to advanced AI tools
Android XR glasses, using AI to recognise real-world objects (still in prototype stage)
Google’s not ditching traditional search entirely, but it’s making a clear play to evolve before someone else forces its hand.
Not Google turning my road trip into an email draft 😭