Only Google Labs users can currently see the experiment. | Image: Google / <a href=”https://www.threads.com/@chris/post/DJkf7LZB8eC?xmt=AQF0-VsPgfBDfV46VV2jdT3gJzbSeP1jQuParZuSHd99jA”>Chris Messina</a>
Some Google Search users are starting to see the platform’s AI Mode search engine chatbot in the wild. Several user reports across X and Threads show that Google is testing different locations to display the AI Mode tab — while some examples show it in the search bar itself, besides the “search by image” button, in others it replaces the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button underneath the search bar.
There’s also some variation to the appearance of the AI Mode button, with some users seeing a rotating rainbow border when the cursor hovers over it. In another example where AI Mode has replaced “I’m Feeling Lucky,” the rainbow border is seemingly the default design, and makes the search-focused AI chatbot button stand out among Google’s other offerings.
Google said on May 1st that a “small percentage” of people in the US would soon start seeing an AI Mode option in Google Search, but the screenshots of these tests give us some idea of where it may be placed when (or if) it rolls out to the wider public. For now, Google spokesperson Ashley Thompson told The Verge that AI Mode in Search is currently limited to users of Google’s experimental Labs environment.
“We often test different ways for people to access our helpful features,” said Thompson. “This is just one of many experiments.”
It’s not guaranteed that the “I’m Feeling Lucky” option will officially be replaced by AI Mode, but even the knowledge that Google is considering it may upset folks who use the niche feature. The button that takes users directly to the first webpage of any search results has been a fixture of Google’s homepage since the search engine launched. This may be Google’s way of suggesting that AI Mode’s chatbot-like responses to search queries are more efficient than allowing users to bypass the traditional search results page.