Google is rolling out five changes to the way its AI-powered search results present links to external websites, an update designed to make it easier for users to click through to original sources rather than relying solely on the AI-generated summary.
The changes apply to AI Overviews, the short AI-written summaries that appear at the top of many Google search results, and AI Mode, a more conversational search experience powered by the company's Gemini large language model that allows users to ask follow-up questions.
Both features work in broadly the same way: when a user types a query, Google's AI reads information from across the web and produces a synthesised answer, with links to the sources it drew from.
The concern, voiced repeatedly by publishers since AI Overviews launched last year, is that users read the summary and never visit the original website, depriving publishers of traffic and advertising revenue.
Google's five updates are aimed at addressing that friction.
First, links will now appear directly alongside the specific claim or bullet point they support, rather than being grouped at the bottom of the response, so users can see at a glance which source informed which part of the answer.
Second, on desktop, hovering over an inline link will now display the name of the website or the title of the page, giving users more confidence about where a click will take them.
Third, links from a user's existing news subscriptions will be labelled as such within AI responses, after Google found in testing that people were significantly more likely to click on links identified as coming from publications they already pay for.
Fourth, AI responses will now surface perspectives from public forums, social media posts and other first-hand sources, displaying the creator's name, handle or community alongside the quote, making it easier for users to explore discussions beyond the AI-generated summary.
Fifth, many AI responses will now end with suggested links for further reading, pointing users towards in-depth articles, case studies or analyses related to their query.
The updates arrive as Google faces continued scrutiny over whether AI-generated answers reduce the incentive for users to visit the websites whose content trained and informed those answers.
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Google has previously said that links included in AI Overviews receive more clicks than they would have as traditional search listings, though publishers and independent researchers have questioned that claim.
The five features represent Google's latest attempt to position its AI search tools as a complement to the open web rather than a replacement for it.
The recap
- Search announces five new generative AI exploration features
- Named features include AI Mode and AI Overviews
- The company says upgrades are ongoing in a blog post
