After adding Gemini 2.5 Pro, Google is updating AI Mode with four big features across Search Live (video with Google Lens access), Canvas, and more.
In addition to text, you will soon be able to upload images and PDF files to AI Mode on the web. The former is already available on mobile, while the latter will let you “ask detailed questions about those documents and bring that context into your search.”
Uploaded files will be analyzed and cross-referenced with “relevant information from the web.” This is rolling out to stable in the coming weeks, with support for more file types (including Google Drive) coming in the future.
Like the Gemini app, AI Mode is getting a Canvas feature that lets you “build plans and organize information over multiple sessions in a dynamic side panel that updates as you go.”
For example, if you want to create a study plan for an upcoming test, just ask AI Mode, then tap on the “Create Canvas” button to get started.
Google is positioning Canvas in AI Mode as helping you build study guides or plan trips, with the ability to ask follow-up questions and make edits by highlighting a portion of the generated text.
Soon, the new upload feature will also make it possible to customize your study guide (or whatever you need to create) with context from your files, like class notes or a course syllabus.
This will be available in the coming weeks on desktop web in the US for those enrolled in the AI Mode Labs experiment.
Another Search Labs feature is video input in Search Live. After launching voice last month, Google will let you show AI Mode what you’re seeing in the real world. You can launch it from the latest Google Lens redesign with a new “Live” tab alongside “Search” and “Translate.” Google is rolling out Search Live with video this week to testers in the US on Android and iOS.
Finally, AI Mode is coming to Google Lens in desktop Chrome. Clicking the Chrome address bar will show an “Ask Google about this page” chip. This lets you select a part of the page, with the usual AI Overview appearing in a side panel. A “Dive deeper” AI Mode button will soon appear at the bottom.
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