Google supercharges AI Search with image uploads, Canvas, and live video input
Google updates its AI-powered Search with image uploads and desktop features aimed at students
Google is cranking up its AI-powered search experience with a major back-to-school update.
Targeting students and educators, the company has added new input methods and desktop features to AI Mode, a chat-based tab within Google Search designed for complex queries.
This article explores Google’s latest AI Mode updates, including image and PDF uploads, Canvas for project management, and live video input. It also breaks down what these changes mean for marketers tracking shifts in consumer search behavior.
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Patrecia Meliana
What's new in AI Mode
The update brings a trio of major enhancements to Google's experimental AI Mode, which rolled out in the US and India in May and just expanded to the UK.
- Image uploads on mobile: Users can now upload photos directly into AI Mode to ask questions or dig deeper using follow-ups. This expands the use of Google Lens-like functionality within a conversational search interface.
- PDF uploads on desktop: Coming soon, desktop users will be able to drag and drop PDFs into AI Mode, enabling Google to summarize or search the document’s content.
- Canvas for desktop: A new interactive tool called Canvas lets users build a “study board” by pinning images, search results, and notes into a persistent side panel. Google calls it a more advanced full-screen companion for students, blending project management with generative search capabilities.
- Live Search with video input: On mobile, users can now point their camera at an object or scene and ask real-time questions via video within AI Mode. It’s a next step from Google Lens, turning live video into a search interface.
Together, these updates transform AI Mode from a text-based assistant into a multimodal search environment.
Patrecia Meliana
Why Google's betting on image and document inputs
The feature set reflects Google’s broader effort to shift search from static keywords to dynamic, multimedia interaction. With rivals like Perplexity and OpenAI pushing conversational agents as search alternatives, Google is reinforcing its ecosystem by layering AI into everyday search moments, especially in education and productivity.
By linking AI Mode to tools like PDFs and study boards, Google is making a play for students, researchers, and anyone who needs more than just a list of links.
And there’s a business angle too. During Alphabet’s latest earnings call, CEO Sundar Pichai credited AI Mode and AI Overviews with driving a significant year-over-year increase in search volume.
What marketers should know
These updates might seem education-focused on the surface, but they hint at bigger shifts in how users interact with search. Here’s what marketing and content teams should take away:
1. Multimodal search is here
Marketers need to think beyond keywords. Visuals, documents, and live content are now searchable inputs. If you’re creating PDF guides, infographics, or video demos, make sure they’re optimized for AI search parsing.
2. Search behavior will get stickier
With tools like Canvas and AI chat follow-ups, Google is nudging users to stay within its ecosystem longer. That means organic SEO strategies may need to adapt to richer content formats that keep users engaged inside search.
Patrecia Meliana
3. Educational content is prime real estate
If Google’s focus on students pays off, marketers in edtech, SaaS, and productivity should invest in long-form, referenceable content that can feed into AI Overviews or be indexed in PDF or document form.
4. Mobile-native features are getting smarter
Video-based search is a potential game-changer. Think about how your brand might enable discovery through short videos or camera-based queries. This could blur the lines between product recognition, live demos, and shoppable experiences.
Google's US$75 billion AI budget is fueling innovation at full tilt. Expect more AI Mode integrations to pop up across its suite of tools, from Docs and Gmail to YouTube and Shopping.
