Chrome Canary builds briefly included a flag that redirected all Google search address bar queries to AI mode instead of standard search results.
Google’s vice president of search engineering, Rajan Patel, confirmed that the flag was an error and said that the company is not planning to make AI mode the default for Chrome searches.
The flag, called “Complete Searchbox queries in AI mode,” appeared in a recent Chrome Canary update and was discovered by Windows Report.
Its description says it “redirects all common search box queries in Omnibox and Realbox to AI mode threads,” affecting users on Mac, Windows, Linux, and ChromeOS.
Google’s history on what the flag did and making AI mode easier to access
Users who enabled the flag in Chrome Canary had their address bar search queries sent directly to AI mode, bypassing the standard Google search results page. Normally, accessing AI mode requires clicking on a dedicated tab at the top of Google search results.
Chrome Canary is used to test new browser features before releasing them in a stable version of Chrome. Not all Canary features make it into stable releases.
The flag’s appearance was not entirely unexpected given previous statements from Google employees.
In September 2025, Google AI Studio lead product manager Logan Kilpatrick responded to a user that AI Mode should be the default search experience on X with a simple “soon :)”.
After some user backlash, Google Search VP Robbie Stein tried to retract the comment, saying he wouldn’t “read too much into it” and clarifying that the focus was on making AI mode easier to access rather than setting it as the default.
Whether the canary flag was an actual mistake or an intended feature that was reversed after user feedback has not been confirmed. Patel’s statement that this was an error is the only official position shared by Google.
Why does this Chrome AI mode flag matter?
Google Search’s AI mode replaces the traditional link-based results page with conversational AI responses. A 2025 Pew Research Center study found that users were nearly 50% less likely to click on a link when AI overviews appeared in search results.
AI Mode goes a step further by making AI the primary interface. Publishers have raised concerns about low referral traffic, and many users have expressed a preference for traditional search results.
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority this week ordered Google to allow publishers to avoid using their content in AI search features, citing traffic impact concerns.
Google has confirmed that AI mode will not be the default in Chrome searches at this time. The company has not indicated whether or when it might reconsider this decision.
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