Google Tests Removing AI Mode Tab and Ask Anything Box From Search

2026-11-15 · Digital Living

Google is testing the removal of AI Mode from the search tab bar, along with the Ask anything follow-up box inside AI Overviews. The test follows earlier reports that Google took AI Mode buttons off its homepage.

Google is running a test in which AI Mode no longer appears in the tab bar of Google Search. The same test also removes the Ask anything follow-up box that currently sits within AI Overviews.

This is not the first sign of a pullback. Search Engine Roundtable previously reported that Google removed the AI Mode buttons from the Google homepage. The latest changes look like a continuation of that trend, with fewer visible entry points to AI Mode.

The source does not say whether these changes will become permanent or roll out to all users. For now, it is a test, so what people see may differ depending on the account or location.

Takeaway for businesses: Treat these changes as a test, not a final decision, and keep monitoring how your search traffic and visibility in AI Overviews behave before changing your strategy.

Sources: https://www.seroundtable.com/google-dropping-ai-mode-again-42534.html