As AI-generated answers continue to change how people discover information online, Google is updating its search experience to give website links and news articles greater visibility. The move comes as brands and publishers raise concerns about declining website traffic.
The Alphabet-owned company began adding AI features to its search results more than 2 years ago. In May 2024, it launched AI Overviews, which provide AI-generated summaries instead of relying only on traditional search links.
In March 2025, Google introduced AI Mode, a separate search experience that delivers more detailed answers and additional links than AI Overviews. Now, the company plans to show contextual links “more frequently” and place them higher in AI-generated results.
Google will also expand its link “carousel” worldwide. These cards appear directly below AI Overviews and display headlines and images from relevant articles. The search algorithm will prioritise content from websites users have marked as “preferred sources”. It will also include relevant posts from social media platforms and other online forums.
Links placed at the end of AI-generated summaries will become “more engaging and prominent”, making it easier for users who want to “dig deeper” to find additional information.
During Alphabet’s Q2 2025 results, CEO Sundar Pichai said AI Overviews had more than 2 billion monthly users across over 200 countries.
However, studies have found that AI-generated summaries can reduce the likelihood of users clicking on suggested links. A report by consultancy Chartbeat found that news publishers experienced a 40% drop in traffic from Google between July 2025 and July 2026.
In August, a French group representing daily newspapers raised concerns with the Competition Authority. It argued that AI summaries breached agreements reached with news publishers in 2022.
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