Google is expanding AI Mode in Search with new features this week.
The biggest addition: Canvas. It lets you build and organize study plans across sessions in a side panel. Hit “Create Canvas” and AI Mode pulls together info you can tweak with follow-up prompts.
Soon, you can upload files like notes or syllabi to customize your study guides. Canvas rolls out in the U.S. to users in the AI Mode Labs experiment. 
Google also brings Project Astra’s tech into AI Mode with Search Live, which ties into Google Lens. Point your camera, tap the Live icon, and have real-time back-and-forth conversations using visual context.
Robby Stein, VP of Product at Google Search, said:
“When you go Live with Search, it’s like having an expert on speed dial who can see what you see and talk through tricky concepts in real-time, all with easy access to helpful links on the web,”
Search Live with video input hits U.S. mobiles this week for AI Mode Labs users.
You’ll soon be able to use Lens in AI Mode to ask questions about what’s on your desktop screen. Stein gave an example:
“Perhaps you’re looking at a geometry problem and want to better understand one of the diagrams. Click on ‘Ask Google about this page’ from the address bar and select the diagram. You’ll get an AI Overview with a snapshot of key information directly in the side panel. And this week, you’ll be able to follow up with more questions through AI Mode, by selecting AI Mode at the top of the Lens search results or by clicking the ‘Dive deeper’ button at the bottom of the AI Overview.”
Desktop now supports AI Mode questions about images. PDF uploads are live on desktop, letting users ask detailed questions about documents. For example, upload lecture slides and ask follow-ups to deepen your understanding.
Google says more file types are coming later this year, including Google Drive files.
Image Credits: Google
Image Credits: Google
Image Credits: Google
