Google further buries search results under AI mode
Google is testing automatic expansion of AI Overviews at the top of some Search results pages, placing a full AI-generated answer and an “Ask anything” box before conventional web links. The change could make ordinary search results less immediately visible and require users to scroll further, intensifying concerns about Google prioritising AI content over publishers’ links.
Google has not disclosed which searches trigger the behaviour, and it appears inconsistent across queries and browsers. A Google spokesperson said the overviews expand when its systems judge this most useful, citing research that users find the experience more helpful and explore follow-up questions more deeply; expansion is cancelled if a user has already started scrolling.
- Google is auto-expanding AI summaries for some searches.
- Traditional links may be pushed much further down.
- Google says expansion depends on perceived usefulness.
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Google Search helps people find information across the web by listing pages that may answer their queries. Its AI Overviews use artificial intelligence to produce a summary near the top of some results pages, drawing on information from websites and offering ways to ask follow-up questions.
Google runs the search service, while publishers and other website owners rely in part on people finding their pages through search links. The order and visibility of those links can affect how much traffic websites receive, and changes to the page layout may influence how users discover and explore information.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Google can argue that expanding an AI Overview when its systems predict it will help gives users a quicker answer and makes it easier to explore related questions. The company says research supports this approach, and cancelling expansion once someone starts scrolling may help keep it from interrupting users who want to reach the links.
The case against
Critics can argue that putting a full AI answer and prompt box ahead of conventional links makes independent sources harder to find and may steer attention away from publishers whose material informs search. Because Google has not explained which queries trigger expansion and the behaviour appears inconsistent, users and publishers may also struggle to predict how results are presented.