Google expands AI-powered search mode to Europe

Google is expanding its AI-powered search mode to more than 35 new languages and over 40 additional countries and regions, including much of Europe. The global rollout is expected to finish within a week, bringing the feature to more than 200 countries worldwide. In this mode, users tend to ask much longer and more complex questions than in traditional searches, making the experience feel more like ChatGPT than classic Google Search.

While familiar risks like potential hallucinations remain, the new mode promises a noticeably improved search experience with more precise answers and less SEO clutter. But for the broader web ecosystem, this marks a troubling shift: Google is evolving into an “omni-publisher” that keeps users inside its own platform. As links receive fewer clicks, publishers are left struggling with declining traffic and ad revenue.