Google AI search mode shows different products, higher prices

Featured Image: Golden Dayz/Shutterstock. Source: Google. — Image credit: Search Engine Journal

Google’s experimental AI search mode frequently displays different product listings, sellers and higher prices compared to its traditional “Popular products” carousel for identical search queries.

A recent analysis by e-commerce intelligence firm Productrise found minimal overlap between the two search features, potentially impacting merchant visibility and consumer purchasing decisions in the U.S. and U.K. markets.

The study, conducted from August 9 to August 31, 2026, monitored more than 2 million product listings across more than 100,000 regular search results and AI Mode responses.

Only 1.28 percent of products featured in Google‘s Popular products carousel also appeared in the AI Mode results for the same search on the same day, Productrise reported.

Among the limited number of products that did appear in both AI Mode and the carousel, the initial listed seller differed nearly half the time, at 49.6 percent.

Prices for these matched products also varied significantly, with 38.1 percent showing different costs, according to the analysis.

AI Mode displayed the higher price in 68.4 percent of these instances, Productrise stated.

Across all products that were present in both search features, the prices shown in AI Mode were, on average, 21.6 percent higher than those in the traditional carousel.

Hugo Huijer, a spokesperson for Productrise, indicated that the discrepancies suggest distinct algorithms are at play, offering different product ecosystems to users.

The findings, also highlighted by Futurism, raise questions about transparency and consistency in Google’s product recommendation systems as it integrates more AI into its core search functions.

Google has been testing its AI Overview feature, which includes product recommendations, as part of a broader rollout of generative AI capabilities in its search engine.

The company has not publicly commented on the specific differences in product listings or pricing between its AI Mode and traditional shopping carousels.

The implications for both consumers seeking the best deals and merchants striving for visibility are substantial, given Google’s dominant position in online search and e-commerce referrals.

Source: Search Engine Journal