$250 for Agentic AI Mode? I Tested It
The creator tests Google's new $250 monthly AI Mode upgrade with agentic features by asking it to find and book a restaurant reservation for a table of six with specific requirements.
When asked to complete the reservation, AI Mode refuses, saying "absolutely not." Comparing against the non-upgrade account reveals the new mode adds systematic categorization, hedging language about availability and hours, and organized output, but it still functions as a fancier restaurant guide rather than a true agent capable of taking action.
Google's adoption numbers show AI Mode barely registers compared to other search verticals like images and videos, suggesting the feature remains highly experimental.
The creator concludes the premium upgrade is not worth the cost.
I tried AI Mode's new agent features. Here's what happened. I asked it to find a brunch spot for a table of six in North Kawanda. So, Saturday at noon, cheesecake required and must take reservations. It gave me some options. Great. Then I asked it now, can you make the reservation and AI Mode said absolutely not. This made me wonder what exactly changed here, assuming anything changed at all. To find out, I ran the same test through my other account, the one without the upgrade. The results differed, but not by much. Old Mode just gave me a straight list. It was more Yelp Digest than AI Agent. New Mode acted like it was solving a puzzle. It talked about reservations, opening hours, cheesecake availability, and it even hedged, saying things like options may vary or call ahead. It also organized spots into neat categories instead of just dumping them like old Mode did. So yeah, it's more systematic and it's more cautious, but the truth is it's still just a fancier restaurant guide. And if you look at Google's own adoption
numbers, AI Mode barely registers compared to other search verticals like images or videos. I mean, less than a couple% and moving nowhere that has experiment written all over it. So save your $250. I'll keep testing AI upgrades like this one so you don't have to. Subscribe to see the next