Google Tests Removing AI Mode Tab and 'Ask Anything' Box

What happened

Google appears to be testing a version of Search that removes two entry points into its AI experience. According to Search Engine Roundtable, the AI Mode link is missing from the tab bar at the top of the results page. The 'Ask anything' follow-up box at the bottom of AI Overviews is also gone in the same test.

Glenn Gabe spotted it and shared screenshots on X. He described a test where Google is not showing the 'Ask anything' box inside an AI Overview, and he noticed there was no AI Mode tab in the SERP either.

This follows earlier reports that Google removed AI Mode buttons from its homepage. Barry Schwartz noted he could not replicate the latest change himself, which suggests a small, limited test.

Why it might be happening

Nobody outside Google knows the reason, and the source is clear that this is speculation. Two ideas are circulating.

The first is monetization. Some in the community suspect Google is checking what happens to revenue when AI Mode is hidden, because ads in AI Mode reportedly earn less than ads in traditional search. That was floated as one possible factor in a weak earnings quarter. Treat it as a theory, not a confirmed fact.

The second is more mundane. Google has always run tests that hide features from some users. This could be one more routine experiment.

Chris Long offered a third angle: AI Mode may no longer be a separate experience. If AI is blending into the main results, a standalone tab matters less.

Why it matters for visibility

For business owners, the lesson is not to panic or to rewrite your strategy around one test. It is to remember that the interface you optimize for keeps moving.

If AI Mode becomes harder to reach, fewer people may start long, conversational searches there. Fewer follow-up prompts inside AI Overviews could also mean fewer chances for users to dig deeper without leaving Google. That could change which brands get surfaced and cited.

But we do not have data on that. A test seen by a few people tells us about Google's direction of experimentation, not about traffic.

What this means for ecommerce

Ecommerce brands should care about the monetization angle most. Google needs Search to make money. If AI-led experiences monetize worse than classic results, expect Google to keep adjusting how prominently it pushes them. That affects where shopping ads, product listings and organic results appear.

It also reinforces a point I make often: do not build your whole acquisition plan on one Google surface. Interfaces get added, hidden and renamed.

Practical actions

• Do not change strategy over one test. Note it, monitor it, and wait for confirmation or a wider rollout.
• Keep tracking AI Overview presence. If you already monitor which queries trigger AI Overviews and whether your pages are cited, keep doing it. Annotate any sudden shifts.
• Watch Search Console trends. Look for changes in impressions and click-through rate on informational and product-comparison queries over the next few weeks.
• Keep content useful for both modes. Clear answers, strong product data, honest comparisons and solid entity signals help in classic results and in AI answers.
• Diversify discovery. Email, social, marketplaces, direct traffic and other AI assistants reduce your exposure to any single Google layout change.
• Test your own results. Check Search in different browsers, locations and logged-in states, as the test may only show for a few users.

What to watch next

The key question is whether this stays a test or becomes a broader change. Watch whether the AI Mode homepage buttons return, whether more people report the missing tab, and whether Google comments publicly.

Until then, the safest position is simple: optimize for being the best answer, wherever that answer appears.