Glossary
AI Mode
Google's conversational AI search mode, which answers a query with a generated response and linked sources instead of a results page.
Definition
AI Mode is a separate mode of Google Search where the whole result is an AI-written answer, with the sources it draws on linked inside and beside it. Unlike an AI Overview, it does not sit above a list of organic results. DiscoveredBy measures it as its own engine, Google AI Mode, through a licensed data provider that fetches the AI Mode answer for each tracked prompt; the sources the answer links are recorded as its citations.
Example
Asking AI Mode "which invoicing app suits a solo designer" returns a written comparison of a few apps with links to the reviews and product pages it drew on.
Related terms
AI Overviews
Google's AI-generated answer block that appears above traditional search results for many queries.
Shown Rate
How often Google showed an AI answer (an AI Overview, or an AI Mode answer) when your prompt was searched.
Answer Engine
A search product that returns a direct synthesized answer instead of a list of links: Perplexity, ChatGPT Search, Google AI Overviews.
Citation
A specific URL or source that an AI engine links to when supporting a claim in its answer.
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