As I dive into articles on Google Discover, I’ve noticed Google encouraging the use of AI Mode. This isn’t just specific to articles on Discover; it applies to any webpage I’m viewing through the Google Android app.
I’ve observed that Google is integrating AI Mode features into Google Discover. These features allow me to summarize, ask follow-up questions, and explore more deeply into topics once I’ve started reading a story. It’s intriguing to see how Google is keen on directing users into this AI-driven environment.
Specifically, I’ve learned that this isn’t limited just to Google Discover. It’s also available on the Google App for Android, offering AI Mode options for any page I visit.
How it works. Once I click into an article from the Discover feed, there’s a menu with options after tapping the three dots at the top right corner. These include:
Summarize with AI Mode
Ask a follow-up with AI Mode
Dive deeper with AI Mode
Damien (adell) shared a video on X showcasing these features in action. Here’s a screenshot from the video, along with the embedded video itself:
AI Mode in Google Discover/Google App offers three options when visiting a URL via the Discover feed with Chrome.
Why we care. It’s clear that Google is determined to steer users towards Google Discover. It does so by leading them from various entry points like Google Search, AI Overviews, and more. After I’ve been directed to a site, Google then enables me to utilize AI Mode to access a sophisticated, AI-enhanced version of the article.
As I dive into Google’s 2025 Year in Search list, I’m reminded it’s not just a summary of top queries, but a glimpse into fast-emerging topics. This focus tells us so much about the dynamic nature of Google Search and its evolution over the years.
Why this matters to me. Google’s emphasis on rapidly rising queries highlights the growing importance of staying updated. It’s evident that the future of AI search and SEO lies in spotting new trends. Staying ahead means targeting these emerging opportunities before they become mainstream, even if it’s something my current tools can’t detect yet.
What piqued my interest. Here’s a look at the top 10 trending Google Search queries in the U.S. for 2025:
Charlie Kirk
KPop Demon Hunters
Labubu
iPhone 17
One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Zohran Mamdani
DeepSeek
Government shutdown
FIFA Club World Cup
Tariffs
On a global scale, these were the top trending searches:
Gemini
India vs England
Charlie Kirk
Club World Cup
India vs Australia
DeepSeek
Asia Cup
Iran
iPhone 17
Pakistan and India
Exploring trends. I noticed some intriguing trends categorized by region. If only one name appears, it holds the top spot globally and in the U.S.
News: Charlie Kirk assassination / One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Passings: Charlie Kirk
Actors: Mikey Madison / Pedro Pascal
People: d4vd / Zohran Mamdani
Athletes: Terence Crawford / Shedeur Sanders
Games: Arc Raiders / Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Lyrics: Dtmf – Bad Bunny / Wood – Taylor Swift
Movies: Anora / KPop Demon Hunters
Sports teams: Paris Saint-Germain F.C. / Seattle Mariners
TV shows: Monster: The Ed Gein Story / The Hunting Wives
Hum to search: Golden – HUNTR/X
Podcasts: The Charlie Kirk Show / New Heights
Google Maps – Bookstores: Livraria Lello, Porto District, Portugal / Powell’s City of Books
Google Maps – Transit station: Kyoto Station, Kyoto, Japan / Grand Central Terminal
More U.S. trends caught my eye. Google highlighted some additional trends exclusive to the U.S.:
Trends: AI action figure
Viral dishes: Hot honey cottage cheese sweet potato beef bowl
Travel itinerary: Boston
Why do kids say: 67
The takeaway for me. To thrive, I need to capitalize on emerging queries before they reach their peak. By identifying trends early, I can create content that captures attention when competition is minimal. While evergreen content holds its value, the largest gains come from fresh, unexplored opportunities.
I recently dived into how Google’s new AI Max setting is changing the game for search term matching and reporting. It’s like an adventure where advertisers find themselves facing challenges in maintaining precise keyword control.
Why AI Max Might Not Be Ideal It’s important to note that AI Max isn’t necessarily negative. However, if broad match has underperformed in your past account history, or if your budget already limits top exact or phrase match keywords, then AI Max might require a second thought.
If you dislike text customization or Final URL expansion, which are inherent features of AI Max, you might want to reconsider.
You can maintain control by adding broad match keywords manually if they suit your objectives.
Understanding AI Max and Your Keywords From the Adalysis test, I learned that even when your campaigns lack a broad match version, AI Max behaves as if it includes one, distributing impressions and clicks to your existing keywords. This can obscure match-type reporting, crediting AI Max for traffic already earned by exact and phrase match terms.
To achieve clearer reporting, I recommend adding broad match versions of core keywords.
Trouble with Search-Term Reporting By checking search terms under AI Max, I’ve observed issues like brand terms matching non-brand queries and vice versa. Even with brand filters, misspellings and variants might sneak in. Strong negative keywords remain a vital defense line.
AI Max Isn’t Always Unearthing New Searches More often, AI Max is merely claiming credit for existing queries and can override Google’s usual matching hierarchy, misallocating impressions to less relevant ad groups.
This could partly explain why its metrics seem inflated.
The Mystery Bucket I’ve found that AI Max sometimes generates search terms not aligned with any current keyword or past searches. This might relate to Google’s keywordless technology, although confirmation is pending.
Adalysis advises de-duplicating search terms across match types to pinpoint real performance enhancements.
Decoding Google’s Priority Order Though Google asserts that exact matches should take precedence when search terms are identical, our tests sometimes revealed AI Max taking over. This inconsistency necessitates adding exact matches for even minor spelling variations to protect valued search queries.
Why It Matters This journey with AI Max highlights how it can blur match types and reporting clarity. This murkiness makes it difficult to discern the true drivers of results, hindering budget optimization and protection of brand traffic.
Final Thoughts The Adalysis test strongly suggests that while AI Max offers campaign scaling opportunities, its structure can deceive with inflated metrics by reallocating impressions from original match types.
If you’re using AI Max or planning to test it, ensure to include broad match versions, differentiate traffic with strong negatives, and keep exact match for your key queries while watching for mixed search terms. Managing search terms is as crucial now as it has always been to align your spending with high-performing searches.
Explore Further For more insights on AI Max, check these valuable reads:
Lately, I’ve noticed an intriguing change on the Google homepage. You can now upload a file or an image directly into the search bar, and it thrusts you straight into AI Mode. It’s a fascinating shift from the usual image search results via Google Lens.
This development steers us away from traditional search experiences towards a more captivating AI-driven interaction. When you upload an item, you’re directly immersed in AI Mode rather than sifting through Google Search with mere image results.
What it looks like. Check out a brief video I created to illustrate the flow of using this feature:
More AI Mode. Google is clearly nudging us towards their AI Mode innovations. They’ve even started integrating AI Mode within the Chrome omnibox, and the tab is always strategically placed on the left. It feels inevitable that AI Mode might soon become the default Google search interface.
In the past, we speculated about Google’s transition to fully adopting AI Mode as the default experience. Although Google dismissed these claims initially, current trends suggest they’re moving in that direction.
Why we care. As users, adjusting to AI Mode is crucial for setting the right expectations. AI Mode offers a distinct experience compared to traditional search results, potentially impacting how frequently users click on search outcomes.
It’s essential to assess how well you’re positioned within AI Mode and prepare for its different interaction style compared to customary Google Search.
I recently delved into the enigmatic world of Google’s Daily Hub, a complex system aiming to redefine how we interact with search. At its core, Daily Hub sought to seamlessly integrate embeddings, entities, and real-time context. Unfortunately, the system crumbled under the weight of its own complexity.
The Daily Hub is far more intricate than many of us originally thought. It represents a broader trend toward hyperpersonalization we’ve seen lately. Elements like Preferred Sources and followable profile pages in Discover are steadily headed toward predicting what I need even before I type my queries.
Tracing its roots, Daily Hub extends from the “News Digest and Daily Brief” agent, which surfaced during my exploration into Google’s vast, ongoing AI initiatives. This system launched with much fanfare on the Pixel 10, yet was swiftly paused due to its intricate technical web.
The Daily Hub’s Three-Tier Architecture
Imagine Google’s system as a grand conductor, coordinating a diverse ensemble in real-time harmony. This is precisely the vision for Daily Hub.
First Tier: The ‘Memory and Embeddings’ Layer
Daily Hub’s foundation is built on two key document types, forming its memory.
The MemoryDocument encapsulates full content units, complete with structured text, entity identifiers from the Knowledge Graph, comprehensive embeddings, and essential technical metadata.
There’s also the MemoryEntityDocument, a leaner form that embodies each specific entity highlighted in the content.
In practice, if Daily Hub processes an article about “Lionel Messi joining Inter Miami,” it constructs a MemoryDocument for the article and various entity documents for involved topics like “Lionel Messi” and “Inter Miami CF.”
Second Tier: The Personalization Triumvirate
Various systems power the personalization aspect of Daily Hub, ensuring its response to personalized searches and updates is both swift and attuned to individual preferences.
Nephesh, known for refining user interests, AIP_TOP_ENTITIES, and TAPAS_USER_PROFILE each contribute to crafting a unique user interaction experience by leveraging behavior and contextual data.
Third Tier: ‘Ambient’ Orchestration
In this realm, the AmbientRanking system oversees card presentations, using metadata to refine user experiences based on relevance and timeliness.
For example, sports scores and calendar events are prominently displayed when their relevance is at its peak, ensuring my engagement with timely content.
Understanding Gemini Prompts
Andell’s documentation of Gemini’s prompts offers unparalleled insights into the system’s strategic thinking.
Prompt ‘News Topics’: News over 7 Days
With precise formatting and numerous constraints, this prompt identifies and summarizes pertinent news while meticulously adhering to laid down thematic boundaries.
The prompt logic considers only the top interests and excludes unnecessary themes, maintaining focus solely on pertinent areas.
A System with Potential: The Journey Ahead
Despite its hiccups, Daily Hub is a prototype that embodies Google’s goal to create an assistant capable of forecasting our needs through sophisticated data integration and hyper-personalized content delivery.
As these technical hurdles are addressed, I anticipate a transformation in how I interact digitally, setting a new standard for search interfaces.
From today’s suspended project to tomorrow’s blueprint for digital interaction, Google’s vision pivots on delivering a groundbreaking consumer experience.
As I reflect on the recent announcement, I realize that Google is taking a big step by sunsetting the ads developer support forums. By 2026, we will need to shift our reliance to official support channels for maintaining the smooth operation of our ad tools.
The upcoming closure will affect three long-standing Google Groups support forums for advertising developers. Google’s aim is to consolidate technical support into more official and structured channels.
Driving the news. It’s important to note that starting January 28, 2026, Google will cease responding to new posts in these forums. While they’ll remain accessible as read-only archives for a short while, eventually, new posts will be completely disabled.
After Jan. 28:
Support agents will no longer reply on Google Groups.
Replies to existing threads will initiate a new email conversation with Google support.
Past discussions and solutions will remain available online for reference.
The shift. Google’s objective is to “streamline technical support channels,” guiding developers towards official tools that have better tracking and response processes, thereby improving our overall experience.
Where developers should go now. Since the announcement, I’ve been exploring the updated developer documentation that Google has provided. It directs developers to the following official support channels:
Why we care. These forums have served as critical open Q&A hubs for us developers, particularly in dealing with Google Ads API, Google Ads Scripts, and the Campaign Manager 360 API. This change will impact how quickly and effectively we can resolve issues, which are essential for maintaining seamless bidding, reporting, and automation functions.
With the closure of the public forums, we’ll need to adjust our workflows. This means providing more detailed logs and relying less on community-shared solutions. Being prepared for this transition will help us avoid downtime and lapses in performance.
What Google wants from developers. To expedite issue resolution, Google urges us to include comprehensive diagnostic details in support tickets, such as:
Google Ads API: request ID, full request + response logs
CM360 API: profile/account IDs, API method, request + response logs
All products: clear issue description, expected behavior, repro steps, code snippets, and error messages
Community still has a home. For those of us looking to stay connected with updates and participate in general discussions, Google recommends their “Google Advertising and Measurement Community” Discord server, which isn’t tied to official support.
The bottom line. Transitioning away from public troubleshooting forums towards standardized, direct support should streamline issue handling. However, it might also diminish the community-shared knowledge we’ve come to rely on.
After only releasing in the U.S. a few weeks ago, I’m excited to share that Gemini 3 is now available in 120 countries worldwide for English searches.
Gemini 3 launched in AI Mode recently, and now it’s thrilling to see Google expanding it to numerous countries and territories. Robby Stein from Google mentioned, “Gemini 3 is now accessible in AI Mode, covering nearly 120 regions in English.”
Exploring AI Mode with Gemini 3. Google has introduced AI Mode in Search, which employs Gemini 3 to deliver new, dynamic UI experiences. Imagine immersive visual layouts and interactive tools generated instantly based on your search query!
With its capability for complex reasoning, Gemini 3 enhances Search by providing dynamic experiences designed to make our searches more intuitive and engaging.
Just last week, Google started automatically using Gemini 3 for selected AI Mode queries, marking a new era for search intelligence.
This expansion presently caters exclusively to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, offering them a more interactive and enriched search experience.
Google explains, “With this expansion, it’s now simpler to pose any question and quickly gain a deeper, more useful understanding.”
Update on Nano Banana Pro. Google is also introducing the “latest generative imagery model, Nano Banana Pro, to AI Mode in additional English-speaking countries, making it available today for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.”
Why This Matters. Google’s continuous updates, both in terms of visuals and user experience, aim to make AI Mode the search experience Google envisions. As Google’s efforts to entice users into AI Mode continue, it’s clear they’re committed to refining that experience to meet their high standards.
Recently, I’ve noticed that Google is testing new ways to push us from AI Overviews into their AI Mode interface on Search. When I click the “Show more” button in some AI Overviews, I’m automatically taken into AI Mode. It’s fascinating because I can continue to explore deeper into topics directly within this interface, enhancing my search experience.
Insight From Google. Robby Stein from Google recently announced that this testing is taking place on a global scale. As I use my mobile device, I can easily delve deeper into AI Mode without leaving the search results page. This seamless integration is designed to enhance how we interact with AI-driven search features.
There’s even a video that showcases how this works, sourced directly from Robby Stein’s announcement:
(2/2) This means you’ll continue to get an AI Overview as a helpful starting point, and now you can also ask conversational follow-up questions in AI Mode – right from where you are.
It’s one seamless experience: a quick snapshot when you need it, and deeper conversation when…
Previous trials. It’s intriguing to me that Google has been experimenting with this since October 2025. The frequent tests likely suggest they’re moving toward a full rollout. This makes me optimistic about how this feature might evolve over time.
The potential downside. I am concerned that fewer people might click through to external sites from Google Search AI Overviews. Instead of providing expanded links and resources, the “Show more” button directs users to a detailed AI response, potentially reducing the traffic to our websites.
Our focus. It’s crucial for us to stay informed about these tests and prepare for any potential impacts on our web traffic. This change might make it more challenging to generate visits from Google Search, affecting the overall visibility of our content and websites.
I witnessed Google take a major step by pulling back its antitrust complaint against Microsoft following a new EU investigation into cloud licensing practices. This decision marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing tug-of-war between tech giants.
Driving the news. Just as the European Commission initiated fresh inquiries into whether Microsoft’s Azure and Amazon Web Services are compliant with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), Google decided to let go of its 2024 complaint. This complaint was primarily focused on what Google considered Microsoft’s unfair cloud licensing strategies. Nevertheless, Google assures us that pulling back doesn’t equate to giving up.
What they’re saying. Giorgia Abeltino, who leads public policy at Google Cloud Europe, emphasized, “We filed our antitrust complaint…to give voice to our customers and partners.” She reaffirmed Google’s commitment to the concerns initially raised.
Why we care. The EU’s deep dive into Microsoft’s cloud operations might just revolutionize the infrastructure supporting various ad-tech tools, measurement systems, and AI workflows. Should regulators enforce changes to Microsoft’s Azure, we may see a more competitive landscape emerging, benefiting us with cost reductions and improved tool interoperability.
Simply put, competition within the cloud domain influences the speed, affordability, and dependability of the tools advertisers depend on daily.
The backdrop:
I observed that Google accused Microsoft of using restrictive software licensing to make other cloud services less appealing.
This complaint followed closely after Microsoft resolved a related dispute with the cloud advocacy group CISPE.
It’s worth noting that other Microsoft and Amazon sectors, such as Windows and Amazon’s marketplace, are already under the ambit of the DMA.
State of play. While the EU remains vigilant in monitoring cloud competition, Microsoft has opted not to comment on these developments.
Bottom line.Google’s decision to withdraw isn’t a retreat but rather a shift of focus as the regulatory battleground opens new fronts with EU scrutiny on Microsoft and AWS drawing sharper lines with tougher regulations soon on the horizon.
I’ve recently encountered an issue with Google Search Console that’s affecting many of us in the SEO community. The index coverage report, also known as the page indexing report, is experiencing delays of about two weeks. It’s important to note that while this impacts reporting, it doesn’t affect the actual crawling, indexing, or ranking of websites.
The page indexing report is crucial for me as it shows the pages Google can find and index on my site. It alerts me to any indexing problems encountered, and I can submit fixes to see if my resolutions are recognized by Google. Given the current delay, I won’t know if my fixes have worked until the report updates.
Here’s a screenshot of my report, last updated on November 17th, although some users are seeing updates as late as the 18th. You can check out the screenshot here.
In a statement on LinkedIn, Google confirmed the issue, saying:
“FYI – Page indexing report delays We’re currently experiencing longer than usual delays in the Search Console Index Coverage report. This only affects reporting, not crawling, indexing, or ranking of websites. We’ll update here once this issue is resolved. Thanks for your patience!”
This delay is particularly inconvenient as I prepare client reports at the beginning of each month. While I anticipate the report will catch up soon, it does mean delaying my own reporting to clients and stakeholders. Until then, it’s good to remember that this is just a reporting glitch.
