Google is enhancing its search engine with the latest generation of its AI technology to deliver instant expertise in response to growing competition from smaller rivals.

On Wednesday, the company announced that it will integrate its Gemini 2.0 AI model into search, enabling it to handle more complex queries related to topics like computer coding and mathematics.

Since last May, AI-generated summaries have appeared above traditional web links, which remain crucial for online publishers relying on Google for traffic. Now, Google is expanding access to these AI overviews in the U.S., allowing teenagers to view them without a special sign-in process.

This shift could mark one of the most significant changes to Google’s search interface since its founding by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in the late 1990s.

Additionally, Google will gradually introduce an “AI mode” that will generate even more AI-based summaries. The company cautions that in this mode, responses may become more conversational and sometimes contain inaccuracies, commonly referred to in the tech industry as “hallucinations.”

“As with any early-stage AI product, we won’t always get it right,” Google product vice president Robby Stein acknowledged in a blog post, noting that some responses might unintentionally adopt a persona or reflect a particular viewpoint.

Stronger safeguards are expected to be in place to prevent AI mode from misleading users on topics related to health and finance.

One reason for additional fine-tuning is that, for now, Google is limiting AI mode to its experimental Labs section. Initially, only subscribers to the $20-per-month Google One AI Premium plan will have access. However, such test phases typically lead to a wider rollout, which Google is pursuing in response to AI-powered search tools from ChatGPT and Perplexity.

The increased reliance on AI-generated summaries is likely to heighten concerns that users will become even less inclined to click on links, reducing traffic to websites that provide valuable information.

These traffic referrals are crucial for online publishers, as they rely on clicks to generate ad revenue that sustains their operations.

Google executives argue that AI overviews still drive traffic by sparking curiosity and encouraging users to conduct more searches, ultimately leading them to other publishers’ sites.

However, this reassurance has not convinced publishers who fear that Google will be the primary beneficiary, further strengthening its already massive internet empire, which generates over $260 billion annually in ad revenue.

The broader use of AI overviews may also expose Google to further allegations of abusing its dominance in search. A federal judge previously ruled that Google operates as an illegal monopoly, and the U.S. Justice Department, which sued the company in 2020, is now pushing for a partial breakup that could include the sale of its Chrome browser. Hearings on potential penalties, including deeper scrutiny of Google’s AI practices, are set to begin next month in Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, online education company Chegg has added to the monopoly claims with a lawsuit filed last month in the same court, accusing Google of improperly using its content for AI-generated summaries. Google has denied the allegations.