Google has rolled out an updated version of its AI Mode, introducing new features designed to enhance user experience, including a tool called "Canvas" and real-time assistance through Search Live. The latest improvements aim to provide more interactive and dynamic support, particularly for students who rely on the platform for research and learning. The Canvas feature allows users to engage in more fluid and visual interactions with AI, making it easier to organize thoughts, draft content, and explore ideas. Meanwhile, Search Live offers real-time help, enabling users to get instant responses and updates as they search. These additions mark a significant step forward in integrating AI more seamlessly into everyday tasks, reflecting Google’s ongoing efforts to refine and expand its AI capabilities. The updates highlight the company's focus on making AI tools more accessible and practical, especially for educational purposes.

Google has expanded the capabilities of its AI Mode, an experimental feature in Search that allows users to ask complex questions and follow-up queries to explore topics more deeply. One of the new additions is Canvas, a tool that helps users build study plans and organize information over multiple sessions in a side panel. For instance, users can click the “Create Canvas” button to start developing a study guide for an exam. AI Mode will then generate content in the Canvas panel, which users can refine with additional prompts until it meets their needs. Soon, users will also be able to upload files like class notes or syllabi to customize their study guides. This feature is set to roll out to users in the AI Mode Labs experiment in the U.S. in the coming weeks. Google is also integrating Project Astra capabilities into AI Mode via Search Live, which works with Google Lens. With Search Live, users can point their camera at an object or scene and ask questions in real-time. The AI will analyze the visual input and provide explanations, with links to relevant web content. This feature is now available on mobile devices in the U.S. for users in the AI Mode Labs experiment. It allows for a more interactive and visual approach to learning, such as understanding a diagram in a geometry problem or identifying a plant. In addition, Google is making it easier to use Lens in AI Mode on desktop. A new “Ask Google about this page” option will appear when users click on the address bar in Chrome. When selected, Lens will generate an AI Overview of the webpage’s content in the browser’s sidebar. Users can then ask follow-up questions by choosing “AI Mode” from the Lens results or clicking the “Dive deeper” button. This update aims to make it simpler for students and professionals to get detailed insights from web content. Google has also added support for PDF uploads in AI Mode on desktop, allowing users to ask in-depth questions about documents. For example, a student could upload lecture slides and ask follow-up questions to gain a deeper understanding. The company plans to expand this to other file types, including Google Drive files, later this year. AI Mode was first introduced in the Google Search app in the U.S. in May, offering a conversational interface that summarizes web content and allows for back-and-forth dialogue. The feature was initially tested in April with image uploads, and now it’s expanding to desktop, making it more accessible for students and researchers. The updates reflect Google’s effort to make AI Mode a more powerful tool for learning and research, particularly for students. By integrating visual and document-based inputs, the company is enhancing how users interact with information. However, the feature is still experimental, available only to select users through the AI Mode Labs program. These developments highlight Google’s push to integrate AI more seamlessly into its search and productivity tools, aiming to improve user experience and support education and knowledge exploration. While the full impact of these features remains to be seen, they signal a significant step in how AI can assist with complex information tasks.