Google AI Mode Displays Different Sources for the Same Query
A new observation highlights the dynamic nature of Google’s AI Mode, revealing that citation Sources can significantly differ depending on the device, browser, or even a simple refresh of the same search query.
This discovery was shared by Jes Scholz on X (formerly Twitter), who demonstrated how AI Mode behaves differently on Chrome vs. the Google App and across browser sessions.
Did you know Google actually has two Google AI Modes? One in Chrome and another in the Google App,” Scholz wrote. “The surface a user selects drastically affects which sources get cited.
A Closer Look at Dynamic Source Variation
Scholz ran the same query across different environments and received a different number of citations each time:
- On Safari: 13 citation sources
- On Chrome (initial search): 14 sources
- On Chrome (same query, refreshed): 7 sources
These fluctuations suggest that Google AI Mode is not static. Instead, it appears highly adaptive, possibly personalizing or rotating results in real-time based on user environment or other signals.
Even refreshing a query within the same browser session led to an entirely new set of sources making this behavior difficult to predict.
Why This Matters for SEO
This revelation has several implications for SEO professionals:
- AI visibility isn’t consistent across devices and platforms
- Citation sources rotate, which can affect traffic attribution
- Cross-platform testing becomes essential to understand how and where content appears
For those optimizing content for Google’s AI Mode, testing across devices and browsers should be a standard part of visibility audits.
Final Thoughts
Google AI Mode’s constantly shifting sources show how fluid AI-generated search results have become. This is a strong signal that real-time adaptability may play a growing role in search visibility.
To keep pace, SEOs and content strategists should:
- Monitor AI Mode behaviors across different environments
- Track appearance frequency and changes over time
- Focus on consistent, high-quality content that earns citations in varied contexts
As generative search continues to evolve, understanding where and how your content surfaces across AI experiences is becoming just as important as ranking on traditional SERPs