Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET
Even luck can’t escape being replaced by AI.
Since its inception, Google Search has had an “I’m feeling lucky” button alongside the regular search button. Instead of taking you to a page of results for your search, the lucky button takes you straight to the site for the first result. It was a time-saving trick in the days of slower internet, but now it’s more of a playful throwback.
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Over the past several days, users have reported that the lucky button is gone. In its place is a button for AI mode. Instead of taking you to actual search results, AI mode opens a chatbot that gives you information about what you searched for and lets you have a conversation to learn more (given its AI history, though, perhaps a simple rebrand to “I’m feeling unlucky” is more apt).
At least one editor at ZDNET has seen AI Mode replace the “I’m feeling lucky” button, as shown in the screenshot above.
This change isn’t unexpected
Earlier this month, Google announced that since users were finding it so helpful, it was expanding AI mode. “In the coming weeks,” the company explained, “a small percentage of people in the US will see the AI Mode tab in Search.” Google didn’t say where this button might appear, but it’s clear from user reports that at least one potential option is where the lucky button is now.
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Fortunately, the lucky button is not guaranteed to disappear. Users are also seeing it in a few other locations, including inside the search bar.
While both options are about bypassing traditional search, it’s hard to imagine that many people actually use the lucky button these days. Still, it’s always nice to see it there. While a lot of people are averse to Google’s seeming insistence on injecting AI into its products, you have to imagine AI mode will almost certainly see more use.
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