What Is AI Mode: Google's Chat Search in Turkey

AI Mode is a separate tab Google added next to the search box: you ask a question, a chat-based engine produces an answer, and you can ask as many follow-up questions as you want on top of it. It’s often confused with AI Overviews, but it’s a different experience — AI Overviews is a summary box that appears above normal results, while AI Mode is a separate search screen that almost entirely does away with the classic ten-link list. I already did a detailed comparison of the two on the What Is AI Overviews page, I won’t repeat it here; this page focuses directly on AI Mode.

How to Use AI Mode

Accessing AI Mode is simple: when you search on Google, at the top of the results page, next to the classic tabs (All, Images, News…) you now see an “AI Mode” tab — in Turkey, since February 18, 2026. Clicking this tab switches the search box into chat mode.

The user experience works like this:

• You type the question (or ask it by voice), the engine produces an answer compiled from sources.
• Below or next to the answer, dynamic blocks sometimes appear — source links, product cards, comparison tables — varying by question type.
• If you don’t like the answer or want to go deeper, you can ask a follow-up question in the same window; the engine remembers the previous turn.
• The classic “ten blue links” list doesn’t appear on this screen; the user mostly stays in the chat.

This is also the core thing that separates it from AI Overviews: AI Overviews adds a summary on top of a results page you’d already be shown, while AI Mode offers an entirely separate experience. The user switches to this tab deliberately — which makes it a less accidental, more intentional kind of use.

Optimizing for AI Mode: Different From AI Overviews?

Short answer: no, the core GEO principles don’t change — but one thing becomes more critical: entity clarity.

In AI Overviews the user still sees a summary with source links underneath it; you’re “visible” there as a source. In AI Mode, the chat runs over multiple turns, and the engine carries the context it gained from the first question into later questions too. So having your brand, your service, and who you are defined clearly and consistently — appearing the same way on your site, your social profiles, and third-party sources — becomes more critical for AI Mode to remember you in the right context.

Nothing changes in practice: the same structure (clear headings, direct answers, schema markup) works for both AI Overviews and AI Mode. You don’t need to invent a separate “AI Mode SEO.” I cover the overall framework on the GEO Guide page, and how GEO differs from classic SEO on the What Is GEO page.

AI Mode on the Sites I Manage: What I Have, and What I Don’t

Let me be honest: I don’t have a reliable AI Mode-specific number. Search Console’s AI performance report currently doesn’t show AI Overviews and AI Mode on separate lines — it groups both under an “AI features” heading. So I can’t definitively separate whether a page’s impression came from AI Mode or AI Overviews.

Since I regularly look at traffic across 26 sites, I can share a general observation: the number of visits I can attribute to AI Mode right now is too small to measure. This doesn’t mean AI Mode isn’t working — it’s still very new (in Turkey since only February 18, 2026) and its usage share appears to be well below AI Overviews. Instead of giving an inflated figure, I’d rather say: I’ll update this page as more data accumulates.

What It Gets You

In business-owner terms: AI Mode is a small channel today, but a growing one. The real good news is this — you don’t need a separate investment for AI Mode. The work you do for AI Overviews and your general search visibility (clear answer structure, schema markup, entity clarity) automatically carries over to AI Mode too. So a single GEO effort pays off across two — and likely more, in the future — channels at once.

The cost of neglecting this today is starting from behind once the channel grows. If your competitors aren’t looking at this yet, laying the right foundations now is a cheap investment.

You Can Ask Me for This Work

You can ask me for this: typically 2 hours to 2 weeks, fully remote, billed hourly. I’ll look at where your site stands in AI Mode and AI Overviews and produce a prioritized roadmap. Check out my AI search visibility service or write directly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are AI Mode and AI Overviews the same thing?

No. AI Overviews is a summary box that appears above normal search results; AI Mode is an entirely chat-based experience that runs in a separate tab next to the search box. For a detailed comparison, see the What Is AI Overviews page.

When did AI Mode launch in Turkey?

On February 18, 2026, the same day as AI Overviews.

Do I need a separate SEO/GEO effort for AI Mode?

No. The same GEO principles apply — clear structure, direct answers, schema markup. The only difference is that entity clarity (clearly and consistently explaining who your brand is) is slightly more critical in AI Mode.

How do I know if my site appears in AI Mode?

There’s no clear method right now — Search Console doesn’t report AI Overviews and AI Mode separately. To be honest, I don’t have a definitive measurement tool for this yet; I’ll update this page as the data becomes clearer.