Today Google has announced some new improvements to AI Mode in Search. First off, the function has expanded to now be available in 180 new countries and territories, though it’s still limited to English only and the EU countries aren’t getting it yet.
Next up, AI Mode now has agentic capabilities, starting with finding restaurant reservations (rolling out from today). Soon this will also expand to local service appointments and event tickets.
So you can ask about getting a dinner reservation, including with multiple constraints and preferences (like party size, date, time, location, and preferred cuisine), and AI Mode will search across multiple reservation platforms and websites, find real-time availability for restaurants that meet your criteria, and then present you with a curated list of places with available reservation slots to choose from. Once you make up your mind, you have a link that takes you directly to the booking page, so you can easily make your reservation.
Google is working with partners like OpenTable, Resy, Tock, Ticketmaster, StubHub, SeatGeek, Booksy, “and many more” to make this possible. This experience is available through the “Agentic capabilities in AI Mode” experiment in Google Search Labs for those subscribed to Google AI Ultra in the US.
Those in the US who have opted into the AI Mode experiment in Labs will see results tailored to their preferences in search, starting with dining-related topics. This should help you discover new restaurants and cafes that match your unique tastes.
For example if you ask AI Mode for a quick lunch spot, it will take into account your previous conversations and the places you’ve searched for or tapped in Search and Maps to present you with more relevant options personalized to you.
Finally, you can share anything in AI Mode with anyone you want thanks to a new Share functionality that’s available in the US. Just tap the Share button and that’s it. Google thinks this can be “particularly helpful for tasks you want to collaborate on, like planning a trip or a birthday party”. You can delete your shared links at any time.
Source link
