Google’s AI Overview, a feature that summarizes search queries using AI, is expanding its reach. Initially launched in May, the service is now expanding to the UK, India, Japan, Indonesia, Brazil, and Mexico. These expansions come with localized language support for each region. Despite initial criticism, Google asserts that users are already finding value in the tool, claiming they are “asking longer questions, diving deeper into complex subjects, and uncovering new perspectives” with AI Overview. The company’s blog post highlights that users are engaging with more diverse websites, indicating an increased quality of search results.
To further enhance the user experience, Google is introducing a new link display feature on desktop. This feature showcases relevant websites related to the search query within the AI Overview. The same functionality is accessible on mobile through the site icon in the upper-right corner of the search window. This feature, beginning its rollout today, is also available for users participating in Search Labs. Additionally, Google is experimenting with directly embedding links within the AI Overview summaries themselves, much like how links are presented on websites. This approach aims to simplify navigation and encourage users to explore the referred website more fully. Google states that this method has demonstrably led to increased traffic for publisher sites.
For Search Labs users participating in the “AI Overviews and more” experiment, Google is introducing two new features. Users can now save generated Overviews for future reference, eliminating the need to remember the initial search prompt. Additionally, a single click allows users to simplify the wording of an Overview, making the content more concise. These features are currently exclusive to English-language queries within the United States.
