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Google says the visual era in AI is here, as the search engine offers capabilities that go eye-to-AI for shoppers.
At Google’s I/O conference on Tuesday, the search giant said it will now offer a range of visual results in AI Mode, its AI-powered search tool that handles conversational queries and follow-up questions.
The upgrade is powered by Google’s new visual search fan-out technique, which combines Google’s visual understanding with Gemini 2.5’s advanced multimodal capabilities. Simply put, the fan-out technique analyzes image details picking up on background objects to grasp the full context of a user’s question and deliver relevant results.
For platforms like Google, visual search becomes a strategic next step as referral traffic from AI sources like ChatGPT to retailer websites surges. At the same time, AI tools are evolving into personal stylists that blend context, preferences, and product recommendations into seamless conversations.
“We’re evolving Google Search to move from information to intelligence,” Robby Stein, VP of product for Google Search, said on a press call with reporters. Google’s efforts have “culminated” in AI Mode, he added.
After a user tells AI Mode what they’re looking for with a picture, text, or both, they’re going to get “visual options” and some “inspiring images” from Google’s image corpus in AI Mode, Lilian Rincon, VP of product management for consumer shopping, told reporters during the call. “We’re really working here on making AI Mode much more visual and much better for both inspiration and also for inspirational shopping.”
It’s a crucial first step in making AI Mode’s shopping experience more “helpful,” Rincon said. Conversational shopping isn’t just about helping people make final decisions, but also tackling those early-stage inspirational searches, she added.
“We’re using natural language and pairing the Gemini models with our Shopping Graph information to try to get at that intent from the user,” Rincon explained.
AI Mode will let users shop conversationally—like the way you’d talk to a friend or an in-store manager—plus give them shoppable options with links to buy. The shopping experience uses Google’s Shopping Graph of more than 50 billion product listings, the company said in a statement.