Search has always been about turning curiosity into knowledge, yet the way we ask questions keeps evolving. Google’s latest step—Search Live, a voice-activated layer inside the new AI Mode of Google Search—pushes that evolution into real-time, spoken conversation. Instead of tapping a keyboard, you can speak naturally, get an audio reply powered by Gemini, and follow up exactly as you would with another person. Because Search Live runs in the background and remembers your context, the line between “searching” and “chatting” starts to blur. Below, we unpack how it works, why it matters, and what it signals for the future of Google Search and the wider AI assistant landscape.

Search Live is a new entry point that appears as a “Live” icon beneath the Google app’s search bar once you opt into the AI Mode experiment in Google Labs. Tap it, ask a question out loud—say, “How do I keep a linen dress from wrinkling in a suitcase?”—and you’ll hear an AI-generated answer while links to the web surface on-screen. You can immediately ask a follow-up such as “What if it still wrinkles when I arrive?” without re-starting the session, receiving a response that threads the context together. For users who are multitasking or simply prefer talking over typing, that frictionless back-and-forth is game-changing.

From Typed Queries to Spoken Conversations

Traditional search requires you to crystallize your question into keywords, interpret ten blue links, and repeat until satisfied. Search Live flips that workflow: you simply talk, and Google does the parsing. Because answers are spoken back, the interaction feels closer to a hands-free phone call than to a search session. If you need to switch from voice to text—say you’re in a quiet library—tapping the “transcript” button shows the entire dialogue, where you can keep going by typing. The design acknowledges that real life is messy and mobile, letting your search move seamlessly from voice to text and back again without losing context. 

At the core of Search Live sits a custom version of Google’s Gemini 2.5 model, configured for advanced speech recognition, speech synthesis, and multimodal reasoning. Gemini interprets your spoken prompt, fans it out into multiple parallel web queries, synthesizes the findings, and produces an answer fast enough to feel conversational. Unlike generic LLM endpoints, this model is tied into Google’s decades-old ranking, quality, and safety systems, so the response strives to be both authoritative and up-to-date. The same query fan-out technique undergirds AI Mode’s text answers, but Search Live demonstrates how fluidly it can power audio interaction. 

Seamless Multitasking and Persistent Threads

Because Search Live operates as an overlay, you can leave the Google app, open Maps or WhatsApp, and keep the conversation running in your ear. Gemini preserves the thread, so when you return, it still “remembers” what you were discussing. A persistent history inside AI Mode lets you revisit any past Search Live session, scroll through the transcript, and pick up the dialogue hours or days later. That continuity turns search into a rolling companion rather than a series of isolated look-ups, easing the cognitive load on the user and opening room for deeper, multi-step queries. 

Spoken answers are only half the story; Google has confirmed that live camera input is next on the roadmap. Soon, you will be able to point your phone at a malfunctioning coffee grinder, a tricky geometry problem, or the skyline of a new city and ask, “What am I looking at, and how do I fix or explore it?” Search Live will combine the video feed with your ongoing dialogue, giving step-by-step guidance or contextual information in real time. This builds on Lens’s popularity but fuses it with Gemini’s conversational layer, edging closer to a “universal visual assistant” experience hinted at in Project Astra demos.

Search Live is not a standalone feature; it is the most immediate, human-sensory expression of AI Mode, Google’s experimental playground for advanced reasoning, Deep Search reports, agentic task completion, and personal-context queries. AI Mode already offers AI Overviews for complex questions, Deep Search for research-grade digests, and custom charts for finance or sports stats. Search Live layers natural voice interaction on top, giving power users a single, cohesive environment that can evolve rapidly before its best ideas roll into the main Google Search experience. In that sense, opting into AI Mode today is like living in search’s near future. 

Comparison With Other Voice AI Assistants

Google is not alone in chasing real-time, voice-first AI. OpenAI’s ChatGPT added an Advanced Voice Mode in late 2024, Anthropic brought voice to Claude, and Apple is reportedly re-architecting Siri around on-device LLMs. Yet none of those assistants sit atop a global search index as massive as Google’s—or integrate voice, vision, and web results inside a single mobile app used by billions. Search Live’s ability to surface authoritative links during the conversation blurs the line between a chatbot and a search engine, addressing criticisms that AI answers can trap users inside walled gardens. It also gives content creators visible pathways for traffic, something competitors still grapple with.

Privacy, Quality, and the Query Fan-Out Technique

Voice search raises natural questions about data security. Google says audio is processed under the same privacy controls that govern text search and can be deleted from your account at any time. Quality-wise, the query fan-out method—breaking your prompt into sub-queries and cross-checking multiple sources—reduces hallucinations and widens citation coverage. Because every spoken answer is accompanied by clickable sources, you can audit the information trail, reinforcing trust without slowing the conversation. As AI Mode graduates features into core Search, expect these transparency mechanisms to become a minimum standard across the industry. 

For now, Search Live is US-only and gated behind the AI Mode experiment in Google Labs. Enroll via labs.google.com, update your Google app on Android or iOS, and you’ll see the Live icon beneath the search bar. Tap, grant microphone permission, and start talking. If you prefer silence, flip to transcript view, type a question, and switch back to voice at any moment. While international rollout dates remain unannounced, early adoption gives helpful feedback that shapes the public release—so Google encourages testers to share their experiences in the in-app feedback channel. 

Future Outlook: From Live to Full-Fledged AI Agent

Google’s roadmap doesn’t stop at voice and camera. Slides from I/O 2025 teased agentic features such as buying concert tickets, booking tables, or analyzing your Gmail for personalized travel tips—all within AI Mode. Search Live will act as the conversational front door to those services, meaning you might soon say: “Find two orchestra seats for Saturday under $100 and check me out when the price drops,” and Gemini will handle the legwork while keeping you in control. By merging instant voice, contextual vision, and transactional agency, Google aims to turn search from an information engine into a proactive digital co-pilot. 

Conclusion

Search Live in AI Mode marks a pivotal moment where search becomes something you listen to and talk with, not just type into. Built on Gemini and years of Google Search infrastructure, it promises reliable, source-backed answers at the speed of conversation, plus a roadmap that folds in vision and real-world actions. Whether you’re packing for a trip, debugging a home appliance, or planning a weekend agenda, the path from question to insight now sounds like everyday dialogue. And because that dialogue keeps evolving with every user interaction, Search Live is less a finished product than a living glimpse of where generative AI and search are headed together.