Brave recently announced that it is improving its search service with a new AI-powered chat mode. This feature lets users ask follow-up questions based on their initial search, making it easier to dive deeper into topics without starting from scratch. It’s available now for free to all users globally.
Brave Search was introduced as a privacy-first search engine designed as a Google alternative, catering to users seeking reliable results without being tracked or profiled. Earlier in the year, it launched “Answer with AI”, an advanced feature delivering real-time summaries prominently displayed at the top of search results. It was a hit, generating over 11 million answers daily. This new chat mode builds on that, offering users the flexibility of conversational search while still pulling in real-time web data. Chats are ephemeral, disappearing after six hours unless you save them.
The past couple of years have seen a flood of AI integrations into products. Companies like Google and Microsoft are racing to cram generative AI into just about everything—search engines, email apps, you name it. It hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows as Google’s AI summaries have had their fair share of slip-ups (aka “hallucinations”), leaving people scratching their heads and wondering how much they can actually trust these AI-generated answers.
Brave Search’s AI chat mode doesn’t just mimic ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini. It combines search capabilities with chat functionality. While search engines are great for retrieving specific data, they often falter in handling follow-up queries. Chat apps, on the other hand, allow conversational exploration but don’t excel at broad web searches. Brave bridges this gap by adapting the experience to the nature of your query, whether it’s a straightforward search or a deeper chat-style inquiry.
To use the feature:
- Visit search.brave.com
- Type a query, and if it’s a question, an AI-generated summary will appear at the top of the results.
- From here, you can ask a follow-up question directly via the chat bar. If the AI summary doesn’t pop up automatically, you can trigger it by clicking the AI icon near the search bar.
The chat mode works for free but has reasonable usage limits to maintain service quality.