What We Learned From Analysing Google’s AI Mode Patent

    Google’s AI Mode Patent Could Change Search Forever — Here’s What You Need to Know

    In August 2024, Google dropped a major clue about the future of search: a patent called “Search With Stateful Chat.” This wasn’t just a minor tweak—it signaled something much bigger.

    Michael King from iPullRank was one of the first to dive deep into the tech behind this new patent, and the findings got the SEO world buzzing.

    So, what’s the big idea?

    • Google wants search to remember what you’ve looked for before

    • It builds a “persistent user state” to guide your search journey

    • And it uses large language models (LLMs) to help you through multi-step decisions

    Bottom line: Google is rethinking search from the ground up. And if you’re a content creator, SEO, or publisher—you really need to pay attention.

    Why Is Google Doing This?

    Let’s be honest: search is broken.

    Sure, you type a query, you get results. But that’s not how people actually search anymore. We search in chunks, over time, across different devices. For example:

    • On a Monday: “Best cameras for beginners 2025”

    • Later that day: “Canon EOS R50 vs Sony a6400?”

    • That night: “Canon R50 image quality reviews”

    • A few days later: “Is R50 good for YouTube?”

    • Then: “Cheaper alternative to Canon R50”

    See the pattern? It’s fragmented and nonlinear. Traditional search treats each of these as isolated queries. But to us, they’re part of one big decision.

    Google’s answer? AI Mode—a smarter, more context-aware search experience that remembers your journey and guides you forward.

    What Is AI Mode, Exactly?

    Unveiled in early 2025, AI Mode is like a personal research assistant that lives in Google Search. It builds on AI Overviews but adds:

    • Persistent memory

    • Contextual reasoning

    • Multi-turn conversations

    You ask something, it remembers your previous questions, and walks you through your next step.

    But here’s the twist: this isn’t just a better search tool—it could reshape the entire web.

    Instead of being a gateway to content, Google starts acting like the destination itself. Your content might get used to train or support AI-generated answers, but users may never actually visit your site.

    The 7 Big Takeaways from Google’s AI Mode Patent

    1. Search is Now a Conversation With Memory

    Image 1: Screenshot of Google’s AI Mode search interface

    Google’s turning search into a chat. Instead of responding to each query in isolation, it builds a memory of what you’ve searched before.

    So when you ask follow-up questions, the AI knows your context. It remembers what you clicked on, what you asked, and what you ignored.

    That means content isn’t just competing for keywords anymore—it has to fit into a larger narrative of user behavior and intent.

    2. Your Intent Becomes a Permanent Profile

    Image 2: Diagram showing user data transformed into semantic embeddings

    Google doesn’t just remember what you searched. It turns that history into semantic embeddings—math-powered snapshots of your interests, intent, and understanding.

    So instead of one query, you’re now represented by a living, evolving vector. Two people typing the same question might get totally different answers based on their past behavior.

    It’s personalization on steroids—and it’s also a little creepy.

    3. Google Generates Hidden “Fan-Out” Queries

    Image 3: Slide from Google I/O showing the query fan-out model

    Let’s say you search “best protein powder.” Behind the scenes, Google’s AI may run 50+ related queries:

    • “Whey vs. plant protein”

    • “Protein for muscle gain”

    • “Top-reviewed powders under $50”

    You’re no longer competing for just one keyword—you’re competing against dozens of synthetic queries generated by AI to cover the topic comprehensively.

    If your content doesn’t align with this expanded search universe, it might never surface.

    4. Content Is Classified Before It’s Ranked

    Image 4: Diagram showing how queries are routed by type (creative, informative, etc.)

    The AI Mode patent shows that Google classifies your query before it even pulls results.

    If your query seems like it needs a creative answer, it might prioritize opinionated blogs. If it needs a summary, it’ll prefer structured data and fact-driven pages.

    But here’s the catch: you have no insight into which classification your content will land in. So your content strategy has to be flexible—and built for all use cases.

    5. Google Picks Which Sources Get Credited

    Image 5: Screenshot showing clickable citation icons next to AI summaries

    Google’s AI generates natural language answers—and then links those answers to “verifiable” sources.

    But not just any source makes the cut. Google uses semantic matching to determine which documents are close enough in meaning to the AI-generated answer.

    Even worse, users often don’t click those links. A recent study showed click-through rates dropped by 15–37% when AI Overviews were present.

    So yes, your content might power the AI—but you’re less likely to get traffic from it.

    6. Google Adjusts Answers Based on Your Familiarity

    Image 6: Diagram showing user profiles affecting response depth

    If you’re new to a topic, Google might give you a beginner-friendly explanation. If you’re an expert, it may serve advanced content.

    That means two people asking “What is ChatGPT?” might get very different responses.

    It’s a cool feature—but it also risks creating echo chambers. Over time, you may only see what aligns with what Google thinks you already know or believe.

    7. Multimodal Content = SEO Gold

    Image 7: Diagram showing LLMs processing text + images + video

    Google’s AI doesn’t just read your words anymore—it looks at your images, videos, infographics, and visual layout.

    So if you publish a guide with step-by-step photos, charts, or video walkthroughs, it’s more likely to show up in AI-generated summaries.

    Text-only content isn’t going to cut it. In this new world, rich media = rich results.

    What Does This Mean for SEO?

    Traditional SEO was straightforward:

    • Find the keyword

    • Match the intent

    • Rank and get traffic

    But now, it’s about:

    • Optimizing for synthetic and conversational queries

    • Structuring content for AI summaries

    • Creating content that’s visual, verifiable, and multimodal

    • Thinking beyond clicks—because AI might answer the question for you

    This is already happening. The AI Mode patent isn’t a future trend—it’s a present-day reality.

    Final Thoughts: Time to Rethink Content Strategy

    Google’s AI Mode could reshape how users interact with information—and how creators compete for visibility.

    If your content isn’t part of the conversation, it may not be seen at all.

    So, what should you do?

    ✅ Create evergreen content that fits within search journeys
    ✅ Add visuals, charts, and videos to boost multimodal relevance
    ✅ Think in topics and clusters—not just keywords
    ✅ Build trust and clarity that AI can easily cite
    ✅ Accept that zero-click is here, and adapt

    In part two of this series, we’ll dive deeper into how to future-proof your SEO strategy for AI Mode. Stay tuned!