Google Tests AI Mode Sidebar On Main Search Results Page
Google is testing a version of the left-hand vertical sidebar from AI Mode on its main web search results page. The layout puts the small super G Google logo on the left, alongside chat history lines, a button to start an AI Mode chat and the settings icon.
SEO Damien Andell posted a screenshot on X and said he believed the change was fully rolled out, writing that the sidebar now appeared to be the default for every search rather than only after clicking the AI Mode button on the homepage. Barry Schwartz said he could not replicate it in any of his browsers and suspects it is a test.
In an update, Marie Haynes said she was seeing conversations from Gemini on her Android phone's Gemini overlay appear in the AI Mode sidebar, though she clarified they were not conversations from the Gemini app itself.
If the sidebar becomes standard, AI Mode would sit directly inside the main results page rather than behind a separate entry point, giving brands another surface where AI-generated answers and citations can appear.
Reported by Search Engine Roundtable ↗
Topics: AI Mode, Google Search, Gemini