Brave Search Adds Chat Mode to Expand AI-Based Results

Brave Search, one of the fastest-growing independent search engines, has introduced last Thursday a new chat mode for its Answer with AI feature. This update, available worldwide starting today, enables users to ask follow-up questions, expanding the experience beyond a single query.

Building on the "Answer with AI" foundation

Earlier this year, Brave launched "Answer with AI," a feature that has seen rapid adoption, with more than 11 million answers generated daily. Unlike conventional search engines that rely on Big Tech infrastructure, Brave Search was designed to be privacy-centric, offering real-time answers sourced independently across the web.

The newly launched chat mode extends the capabilities of "Answer with AI" by allowing users to continue their conversation seamlessly. Instead of each question starting from scratch, chat mode retains context, offering a more natural and intuitive exploration of information.

Bridging the gap between search and chat

Search engines excel at providing quick, relevant information, but they often lack the ability to follow up in a conversational manner. On the other hand, chat-based tools are effective in maintaining dialogue but are limited when users need a broader search. Brave Search eliminates this trade-off by adapting to the nature of the user's request—providing either search-like precision or engaging chat-like depth.

When a question-like query is entered, Brave Search presents an AI-generated summary alongside a chat bar. Users can interact with this bar to enter chat mode and explore their topic further.

This combination—of Brave’s internal models, open-source LLMs, and proprietary search algorithms—offers a unique mix of conversational interaction and accurate, real-time information.

Brave Search: pioneering privacy and independence

Unlike other search engines that aggregate results from Big Tech providers, Brave relies on an independent index of the web. Brave's commitment to privacy and transparency serves as an effective counterbalance to the bias and data-driven personalization typical of larger search players.

Brave Search continues to experience significant growth, currently serving more than 36 million queries daily.

As the default search engine for most new Brave Browser users, it offers not just privacy, but a reliable alternative to mainstream search engines that many see as compromised by privacy concerns.

Features and privacy compared

Privacy remains a core commitment for Brave Search. Unlike many leading competitors, Brave does not profile users or store search histories. The new chat feature continues in this vein, with conversations being ephemeral and expiring within six hours. Brave is also working on introducing an option for saving chats within Brave’s Leo AI assistant.

Here's how Brave compares to other major search and chat tools:

• Privacy Policies: Brave stands out with strong privacy commitments, while others collect user data for personalization or service improvements.
• Chat Integration: All major competitors offer chat modes, but Brave ensures users can explore both broad search queries and conversational questions without switching tools.
• Content Sourcing: Brave’s chat mode sources from real-time search results, reducing the risks of misinformation or "AI hallucinations."

How to get started with Chat Mode

If Brave Search is your default search engine, simply type your query in your browser's address bar, and you'll see the "Answer with AI" at the top of the results.

For those who haven’t set Brave as their default, visiting search.brave.com allows access from any browser.

From there, you can start a conversation by asking a follow-up question right from the AI-generated summary.

Brave aims to keep this feature free for all users, with reasonable usage limits in place to maintain performance for everyone.