Google is now testing an AI Mode button inside the search bar once a user is already on the search results page, expanding the placement of the button beyond the home page. The button appears next to some search suggestions on the results page, though not every query triggers it, and users can still run a standard search even when the button shows.
Where the button is appearing
Google has been placing an AI Mode button in the search bar across many surfaces for some time, and the home page has been one of the most common spots where it has shown up. The new test moves that button into the search bar that sits at the top of the search results page itself, so a person running a follow-up query after viewing results sees the AI Mode option without scrolling or changing pages.
The placement was first flagged on September 15, 2026, when the button showed up for some users inside the search results page search bar. The button is not visible for every search suggestion. Some suggestions appear with the button, others appear without it, and which suggestion set a user sees appears to be part of what Google is testing.
What the test looks like
On the results page search bar, the layout keeps the standard search box but adds an AI Mode button beside it. The change is small on the screen but shifts how prominent the AI Mode option feels for a second or third search in the same session.
When the button is visible, it does not block the normal search action. Pressing Enter, clicking the regular search control, or typing and submitting still runs a standard web search. The AI Mode button is an additional option layered into the same search bar, not a replacement for the standard search submit control.
Visibility is inconsistent. Some users see the AI Mode button for several queries in a row. Others see it for one suggestion and not the next. Google has not announced the test publicly, so there is no confirmed list of queries, regions, browsers, or device types that trigger it.
Why the placement matters
The search results page is where people run refinements: same topic, narrower angle, a follow-up question, a corrected spelling. Putting AI Mode directly into that bar gives it more reach than a home page button, because the home page is mostly an entry point, while the results page is where most of the searching actually happens.
That extra reach also raises a practical question about the standard web search. If AI Mode is one click away on every results page search bar, users may default to it for follow-up queries without intending to switch modes. The button does not force AI Mode on anyone, but it sits close enough to the regular search action that some people will reach it by habit.
Google has already been steering attention toward AI Mode in other places. AI Overview links inside the results page have been observed sending users into AI Mode rather than to web pages, which is a separate test but part of the same broader push to put AI Mode in the path of normal search behavior.
How to tell if you are in the test
Users who want to check whether they are seeing the test can open Google, run any search, then look at the search bar at the top of the results page. If AI Mode is part of the current test for that user, an AI Mode button will sit at the end of the bar next to the regular search control. If no button is visible, the user is either not in the test or the specific query they ran does not trigger it.
The button can come and go within the same session. A user who sees it for one query may not see it for the next, even on the same topic. This kind of in-session flipping is common in Google’s button-level interface tests, where the company checks which placement produces the most engagement.
What is not changing
The standard Google search box still works the same way. Typing a query and pressing Enter returns regular web results with all of the familiar features, including ads, the local pack, knowledge panels, and the usual organic links. AI Mode is an alternate mode that produces an AI generated response instead of the standard ten blue links and result page layout.
Choosing AI Mode from the results page search bar still opens the full AI Mode experience, the same as the AI Mode button on the home page or in the tabs above the results. The placement in the test is new. The destination it opens is the same AI Mode that users can already reach from other entry points.
FAQ
Where is Google testing the AI Mode button now?
Google is testing the AI Mode button inside the search bar on the search results page, after a query has already been run, rather than only on the home page.
Does the AI Mode button replace the normal search button?
No. The AI Mode button sits next to the standard search controls. Pressing Enter or clicking the regular search control still runs a standard web search even when the AI Mode button is visible.
Does everyone see the AI Mode button on the results page?
No. The test is limited and inconsistent. Some queries show the button, others do not, and which users see it appears to vary by session and by query.
Related coverage
- Google AI Mode vs AI Overviews: Study Reveals Divergent Search Behavior – BizScoreAI
- Google AI Search Is Linking to Source Websites Again, Here’s What Changed – BizScoreAI
- Google’s AI Search Guide Isn’t Reassuring. It’s a Warning About Generic Content – BizScoreAI
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