Google is rolling out a more seamless way to browse and research with AI Mode, its conversational search experience. Starting on Chrome desktop, AI Mode now supports a split-screen view: when you click a result, the webpage opens side-by-side with AI Mode instead of pulling you fully away from the conversation.
This change is designed to make exploring the web feel faster and more natural. You can read a site, compare details across pages, and ask follow-up questions without losing track of what you were searching for in the first place. Google says the feature helps keep your search context intact, so you can move from discovery to decision-making with fewer interruptions.
A practical example is shopping research. If you’re looking for a new coffee maker, you can explain what you want in AI Mode and get a set of recommendations. When you click a product or retailer page, it opens next to AI Mode, allowing you to ask targeted questions such as how easy the machine is to clean. AI Mode can then respond using relevant details from the page you’re viewing along with information from across the web.
Google says early testers responded positively, especially when working through long articles or videos. Instead of constantly bouncing between tabs, they could keep AI Mode available for quick explanations, summaries, and follow-up questions while staying focused on the content in front of them.
Alongside the split-screen browsing update, Google is also introducing a new way to search using the tabs you already have open. On Chrome desktop and mobile, you can tap a new plus menu in the search box on the New Tab page or within AI Mode, then choose recent tabs to include as context for your search. This lets you combine multiple tabs, images, or files into a single AI-assisted query, making it easier to connect ideas across what you’re already reading.
For instance, if you’re researching local hiking trails with several trail pages open, you can add those tabs into AI Mode and ask for similar options in another area. If you’re studying for a statistics exam, you can pull in information from open tabs, class notes, and lecture slides, then ask for examples that help clarify a difficult concept.
These new AI Mode features are available now in the United States, with plans to expand to additional regions over time.
