What Chrome’s New AI Mode Features Mean for Marketers

Published on Fri, 29th May - 2026

Zach Jackson

In the US, Google has launched a new search experience for AI Mode in Chrome, combining two new functionalities that more deeply embed AI Mode into the everyday browsing journey.

There are clear user benefits to the updates, but they do raise some questions about how Chrome users will interact with websites moving forward.

Here, we explain what’s changing, how it will impact marketers, and how to prepare for the UK rollout of these Chrome search features.

The Chrome AI Mode updates - What’s new?

The changes in Chrome come from two distinct but related updates that make AI Mode a more seamless part of the typical browsing experience. These are:

An AI Mode/webpage split-screen environment - When users click on a link in AI Mode results, it opens a split-screen view. A user might have your website open on one side, while the AI interface sits alongside it, summarising and answering follow-up questions.
The ability to bring external tabs into an AI Mode search - Users can drag and drop tabs into an AI Mode search to fold them into the context of the AI discovery journey.

Together, these updates are aimed at reducing what Google referred to in its launch announcement as “tab hopping”, where users are forced to continuously visit different tabs during a search. Now, AI Mode can serve as a central management hub for search, combining everything in a single dynamic interface.

Unlike AI platforms like ChatGPT and its growing but limited user base, with Chrome being by far the most dominant browser owning just shy of 70% market share(1), any effects of these updates could be widely felt.

Not sure how AI‑assisted browsing will affect your site? We’re already helping brands prepare for this shift. Request a free SEO audit.

New AI Mode experience in Chrome - What marketers need to know

With split-screen and external tab integration now possible in AI Mode for Chrome, users can accomplish more search tasks than ever without visiting a website (in the traditional sense).

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the UK launch.

Tracking still works, but interpretation gets harder

From early observations, pages opened in AI Mode’s split view still load and register like any other visit. At this stage, however, there is limited public documentation on how AI Mode browsing behaviour will ultimately appear within platforms like GA4 or Search Console.

The bigger shift is behavioural.

AI Mode creates a hybrid browsing experience where users can view your page while simultaneously interacting with AI, asking questions, comparing options, or refining their search. That means your content may be influencing decisions even when the user isn’t actively engaging with it in the traditional sense.

So, while visibility remains, the meaning of engagement becomes less clear-cut. Metrics like time on page or interaction depth may not fully reflect how users are actually consuming and evaluating your content.

AI Mode split-screen poses potential UX issues

As far as is known, Chrome’s AI Mode doesn't request the mobile version of your website in the side-by-side view, nor does it automatically optimise your layout for the sudden loss of screen real estate. Early testing suggests some websites may render in a compressed desktop-style viewport within the split-screen interface.

If your site struggles at mid-range breakpoints, it may not be presented in the best light in this new side-by-side AI Mode view.

Implications for search signals and ranking

There’s a question around how search engines interpret user behaviour in Chrome’s new AI Mode environment.

Historically, Google has used a wide range of behavioural and satisfaction signals to refine search quality, even if the exact mechanisms are not publicly disclosed. In a split-screen environment, those signals may look different:

Shorter dwell times
Less scrolling
Fewer multi-page journeys

This doesn’t necessarily mean rankings or visibility will decline. It’s likely that Google will adapt how it interprets these signals as AI-driven interfaces evolve.

However, there may be a period where measurement and interpretation are slightly out of sync, creating uncertainty around how performance is evaluated.

Reduced publisher control over the search journey

Even though you still record a “visit” when someone views your page in Chrome’s AI Mode split-screen, the user’s on-site journey may be cut short.

Instead of following a carefully designed path through your site (e.g. landing page to service page to contact form) users can ask questions directly and receive summarised answers. In that sense, the AI behaves like an on-site assistant that isn’t guided by your preferred messaging or conversion flow.

This could reduce structured exploration, particularly at the top of the funnel. Users may form opinions, compare providers, and narrow their choices before fully engaging with your website in a traditional way.

For brands that rely heavily on storytelling or guided journeys, this could have a material impact on conversions, inquiries, and sales.

Accuracy, consistency, and trust

AI Mode in Chrome now lends itself to in‑depth, real‑time research. This makes it trivially easy for users to interrogate, cross‑reference, and challenge anything they see on a webpage while still looking at that webpage.

Users can ask the AI to verify statistics, compare your offering to competitors, or pull in external context you didn’t provide. Any inconsistency, from outdated numbers; vague positioning; or mismatched messaging across your site and third‑party listings, becomes visible immediately.

If your information is clear, consistent, and well‑supported, the AI reinforces it. If it isn’t, the AI will highlight gaps, contradictions, or alternative interpretations, which can undermine confidence in your brand.

AI Mode in Chrome - Where are the opportunities for brands?

While much of the discussion around Google’s bid to make AI Mode an always on Search component focuses on risk, there are some potential upsides if approached thoughtfully.

Faster decision-making and higher intent visits - If key questions are answered early, whether on your site or via AI, users may move more quickly from research to action, even if they skip steps marketers are used to tracking. Although overall traffic patterns may shift, users who do click through after engaging with AI-generated summaries may arrive better informed and further along the decision-making journey.
Lower friction discovery - AI Mode lowers the effort required for users to explore your content. Instead of committing to multiple clicks and backtracking, they can engage more fluidly, potentially increasing lighter-touch interactions that would not previously occur.
Qualified consideration - The new AI Mode capabilities also naturally support comparison. Your content becomes part of a refined research set, where users evaluate multiple options side by side. Having clear value propositions and well-articulated differentiators gives you a chance to pull in highly qualified enquiries.
Clear content direction - Content that anticipates follow-up questions is likely to perform well in Chrome’s upgraded AI Mode. The more directly you address real user concerns, the easier it is for AI Mode to surface and use your content in meaningful, accurate ways.

AI Mode in Chrome - what marketers should do to prepare

It’s still early, and AI Mode will evolve. Not every predicted impact will play out, and user behaviour rarely shifts overnight. What is clear is that the relationship between visibility, engagement, and conversion is becoming less linear.

For marketers, the response isn’t to overhaul SEO strategies but to refine the fundamentals: