Google rolls out updates to AI Mode and AI Overviews: What is changing
Google has announced a series of updates coming to its generative AI search experiences, specifically targeting AI Mode and AI Overviews. The tech giant says that it is shifting its focus toward helping users discover original content, “connect with authentic voices and explore useful information across the web”, emphasising its goal of building AI that highlights the richness of the internet. Here is a breakdown of the five key updates rolling out to users.
Deep dives with ‘Where to go next’
An AI summary is now designed to be a starting point rather than a final destination. Google says that at the end of several AI responses, Google will now provide suggestions, allowing users to explore further topics. These links lead to unique articles or in-depth analyses on specific facets of a topic, such as case studies or detailed reports.
Personalised access to news subscriptions
To help users get more value from the news they pay for, Google is introducing a feature that highlights links from a user’s active news subscriptions directly within AI results. Google claims that in early testing, they found that people were significantly more likely to click on links when they were clearly labeled as part of their subscriptions.
Advice from experience
Google says that AI responses will now feature previews of public online discussions and social media to answer questions based on real-world experience. These links will include context such as a creator’s name, social handle, or the name of a specific community to help users decide which conversations to join.
Inline links for instant research
Users will no longer have to wait until the end of a summary to find a source. Google is placing more links directly next to relevant text within an AI response. For example, if a summary mentions a specific bike route, a link to a touring guide for that route might appear right next to the bullet point describing the terrain.
Hover previews on Desktop
Google is adding a website preview feature for desktop users allowing them to hover over an inline link and see the name of the website or the title of the page, providing more context about where the link leads.
“We’re continuing to enhance how we show and rank links in our generative AI Search experiences and using techniques like query fan-out, which helps us dive deeper into the web to find the most relevant sites for your search,” Google said.
Deep dives with ‘Where to go next’
An AI summary is now designed to be a starting point rather than a final destination. Google says that at the end of several AI responses, Google will now provide suggestions, allowing users to explore further topics. These links lead to unique articles or in-depth analyses on specific facets of a topic, such as case studies or detailed reports.
Personalised access to news subscriptions
To help users get more value from the news they pay for, Google is introducing a feature that highlights links from a user’s active news subscriptions directly within AI results. Google claims that in early testing, they found that people were significantly more likely to click on links when they were clearly labeled as part of their subscriptions.
Advice from experience
Google says that AI responses will now feature previews of public online discussions and social media to answer questions based on real-world experience. These links will include context such as a creator’s name, social handle, or the name of a specific community to help users decide which conversations to join.
Inline links for instant research
Hover previews on Desktop
Google is adding a website preview feature for desktop users allowing them to hover over an inline link and see the name of the website or the title of the page, providing more context about where the link leads.
“We’re continuing to enhance how we show and rank links in our generative AI Search experiences and using techniques like query fan-out, which helps us dive deeper into the web to find the most relevant sites for your search,” Google said.
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