Google upgrades AI Mode with Canvas and 3 other new features – how to try them

Google

Love it or hate it, Google’s AI Mode has revamped the way you search for information. Instead of presenting you with tens of thousands of website links, Google serves up an AI-generated overview and summary of the results.

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That can save you time and labor by cutting to the chase. But it can also steer you away from the publishers and websites that do the actual work and potentially provide inaccurate information as AI is prone to do.

Clearly seeing AI-powered search as the future, Google is enhancing its AI Mode with four new features. Covering a range of tasks, the new options are designed to appeal to a variety of people, some of whom may not yet be sold on the concept.

1. Ask questions about your images

First up, you’ll be able to ask questions about uploaded images. Initially available just in the Google app for Android and iOS, this capability is now rolling out on the Google search page in desktop browsers.

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To give this a whirl when it’s live, switch to AI Mode on Google’s search engine. Click the button to upload an image and pose your question. In response, Google’s AI will analyze the image, check any relevant information online, and then hopefully answer your query. The AI will also serve up links to websites used for the research.

But the new feature won’t be limited to images. In the coming weeks, Google also will support PDF file uploads. And in the coming months, the company promises to add other types of files, including those from your Google Drive storage.

2. Use Canvas to design a project plan

Canvas is a cool Google feature that offers an interactive workspace in which you can create code, design web pages, and devise other content, with the results appearing side by side in real time. With the latest update, Canvas will work in AI Mode to help you dynamically build information for a project or study plan.

To create a plan, launch AI Mode and then select the button for Create Canvas. Google’s AI will start to put together the necessary information, which you can then modify based on your needs and goals. Soon, you’ll also be able to upload notes and other files to customize your plan.

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Not yet available, Canvas in AI Mode will roll out in the coming weeks to Google users who signed up for the AI Mode Labs experiment in the US. When the feature is ready, you’ll see an option called Create Canvas that pops up when you ask for help creating or planning something.

3. Use Search Live with Google Lens

Google Lens gives the AI a peek at what you see or capture through your phone’s camera. Search Live lets you chat with the AI to explore your search results. Now, Google is combining the two with a live camera feed. With this enhancement, you’ll be able to ask the AI for help with searches on whatever appears through the camera.

Also: 4 ways Google Lens on Chrome magnifies my productivity – and how to use it

To try this out, open the Google Lens app, point your phone’s camera at an item that interests you, tap the Live icon, and then ask any questions you have about the search results. The AI will respond, triggering a back-and-forth conversation to explore whatever is in front of you. This new capability is rolling out this week for people in the US who have signed up for the AI Mode Labs experiment.

4. Ask Google AI about your current web page

Using Google Lens in Chrome and AI Mode together, you can ask the AI questions about any website, file, or other item you see on your screen. Currently, you need to select Google Lens from the Chrome menu. But coming soon, a new update will let you more easily click the Chrome address bar and select an option to “Ask Google about this page.”

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In response, you’ll see an AI Overview with key details in the side panel. Plus, you’ll be able to ask follow-up questions just by selecting AI Mode at the top of the search results or clicking the Dive deeper button at the bottom of the overview.

How do you feel about AI Mode in Search? And will the new features sway your opinion one way or the other?

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