Back in March, Google rolled out something called Artificial Intelligence (AI) Mode inside the Search app. It was a cool idea—type in your questions, and the AI would generate answers. But there was one catch: you could only type. No talking, no listening—just text.
That’s changing now.
Say Hello to ‘Search Live’ – Google’s Voice-Based AI Chat
Google has now added a voice option to AI Mode, and it’s called Search Live. This means you can now literally speak your questions out loud and get a response—not just on-screen text, but actual audio replies. It’s designed to feel like you’re chatting with someone, though the current gen AI voice still sounds a bit robotic, since it’s still in beta.
This feature is already live on the Google Search app for both iPhone and Android phones, but only for users in the US—for now. Google says they’ll be expanding access to more regions, including India, in the coming months.
To try it, all you have to do is:
- Open the Google app
- Tap the new Live icon
- Speak your question—something like, “What are some tips for improving the flowering growth in the rose plant?”
And voilà, you’ll get an audio response in seconds.
Next Up: Talk to Your Camera, Too?
Google isn’t stopping with just voice search. The team is already working on the next phase of Live capabilities within AI Mode. Soon, you might be able to turn on your camera and show the app what you’re looking at in real time—whether it’s a plant, a product, or even a recipe ingredient—and get answers based on what’s on your screen.
It’s a step closer to a world where AI doesn’t just respond to your words, but also sees what you see and helps out accordingly.
Meanwhile at Google DeepMind: AI That Replies to Emails Like You
While all this is happening in the search space, another Google team is quietly reshaping how we deal with emails. Over at Google DeepMind, the creators of Gemini AI, researchers are working on AI that can mimic your writing style and even auto reply to emails for you.
At the SXSW London festival, Demis Hassabis, who heads Google DeepMind, revealed that this tech could soon make its way into the next version of Gmail. Imagine never having to type a reply again—because the AI already knows your tone, your phrasing, and how you’d normally respond. All you’d have to do is hit send.
It Doesn’t Stop There: Follow-Up Questions, Smart Links, and Notes
ack to Search Live, another cool feature is that you can ask follow-up questions naturally. Say the AI just helped you with gardening tips—you could then ask, “How many times should I resoil the pot in a year?” and the AI will instantly respond, keeping the flow going.
Plus, the AI chatbot will also show relevant links on your screen if you want to dive deeper into the topic. And yes, it even creates a transcript of your conversation and saves it to your notepad, so you can refer back to it anytime.
