Google confirms new homepage buttons pointing to AI Mode

This week, Google updated its homepage design with new buttons. We covered this change earlier, and now Google has confirmed the test directly.

The new layout pushes users toward AI Mode and other AI features right from the homepage, with buttons for “Create images,” “Ask about files,” and “Brainstorm.”

Here is the screenshot of this new change.

Google’s Robby Stein, VP of Product, confirmed this test on X, writing: “This is a small test on desktop to help people find new things they can do with Search. There is no impact to how the core search box works — just add your question and hit enter as usual (which is how most people search anyways!).”

This confirms what we suspected Google is using the homepage to nudge users toward AI features without changing how the core search box functions. Stein’s comment makes clear that typing a regular query and hitting enter still works exactly as it always has, so this is more about surfacing new options than replacing the traditional search experience.

Since Stein described this as a “small test on desktop,” it’s likely not rolling out to all users yet, and there’s no indication so far of whether or when it might expand further.