How AI Mode works
Google introduced AI Mode on March 5, 2025, as an experiment in Search Labs, and said in May 2025 that it was starting to roll out to everyone in the U.S. Google describes it as built for deeper questions, such as multi-step exploration and comparisons.
It uses what Google calls query fan-out: running several related searches across subtopics and data sources, then building one response. Google says this can show a wider and more varied set of supporting links than a classic search. Its help page adds that AI responses may include mistakes, and that when AI Mode is not confident in an answer it shows a set of web links instead.
What it changes for legal searches
A question like "how does custody work if my ex moves out of state" may be split into several subtopics, each searched on its own. That likely favors pages where each section answers one question clearly, since any one section can become a supporting link. A family law page built that way is described in our family law guide.
The requirements do not change. Google applies the same rule to AI Mode as to AI Overviews: the page must be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet, with no special optimization needed. See how AI Overviews choose law firm pages.
Measuring it
Google counts AI Mode traffic inside the Web search type in Search Console, so firms cannot isolate it there. Dated question tests in AI Mode fill the gap.
Go deeper
The AEO guide for law firms covers how to structure pages so a clear answer can be lifted from them.
Common questions
Is AI Mode the same as AI Overviews?
No. Google describes AI Overviews as a quick summary shown on a regular results page, and AI Mode as a separate experience for deeper questions with follow-ups. Both draw on pages indexed in Google Search.