Google's AI Mode reportedly replacing iconic 'I'm feeling lucky' button

It might be time to say your goodbyes to the iconic “I’m Feeling Lucky” button below the Google Search bar.

In its place will be AI Mode, a feature that’s been quietly rolling out to users this week, according to The Verge. It’s part of Google’s ongoing push to merge its core search engine with Gemini, its flagship AI model. First announced in March, AI Mode started as an experimental opt-in via Google Labs. Earlier this May, it became available to all Labs users. Now it’s reportedly breaking out onto the main stage: the Google homepage.

Giving AI Mode such prominent real estate suggests Google is accelerating its vision for what search should become. That’s bad news if you’re nostalgic for the playful nature of “I’m Feeling Lucky," which has appeared on Google's homepage since its launch. The button, which once whisked users to the top search result (or something randomly delightful), is potentially being nudged out for good in favor of something Google sees as far more ambitious.

It’s worth noting: AI Mode is not the same thing as AI Overviews. The latter summarizes search results using generative AI. AI Mode goes a step further. Instead, it lets Gemini do the searching for you, and then you can dive deeper with follow-up questions. Think of it as Google’s version of ChatGPT Search, OpenAI’s own attempt to reimagine the search engine as a conversational assistant.

Google almost never touches its homepage. But the timing here isn’t random. I/O kicks off next week on May 20, and AI will be the star of the show. Meanwhile, last week in court, an Apple executive casually dropped a bombshell: for the first time ever, Google searches on Safari declined last month. That adds a layer of urgency to Google’s rollout.