Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet, has been expanding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in its search results for more than two years, introducing features designed to provide users with summarised answers alongside relevant links.
In May 2024, the company launched AI Overviews, which generate concise summaries in response to search queries rather than displaying only the traditional list of links. In March 2025, Google introduced AI Mode, a separate search interface that provides more comprehensive answers and a wider selection of links than AI Overviews.
Under the latest changes, contextual links will appear more frequently and higher up in AI-generated search results, making it easier for users to access relevant sources.
Google will also expand the availability of its link carousel worldwide. The feature displays cards containing headlines and images from relevant articles directly beneath AI Overviews.
The search algorithm will give priority to articles from websites users have identified as preferred sources. It will also be able to incorporate relevant content from social media posts and online forums.
Additionally, Google plans to make links appearing at the end of AI-generated summaries more prominent and engaging, allowing users seeking further information to explore the original sources more easily.
During Alphabet’s second-quarter 2025 earnings announcement, Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai said AI Overviews had attracted more than two billion monthly users across over 200 countries.
However, several studies have indicated that replacing traditional search results with AI-generated summaries can significantly reduce the likelihood of users clicking on suggested links.
According to a report by consultancy Chartbeat, news publishers experienced a 40 per cent decline in traffic originating from Google between July 2025 and July 2026.
In August, Apig, a group representing daily newspapers in France, raised concerns with the country’s Competition Authority, alleging that AI-generated summaries violated agreements reached with news publishers in 2022.
