Google's AI-Driven Search Summaries Revolutionize Source Presentation

As Google expands AI Overviews to six new countries, it is also revamping how citations are displayed in these summaries. Instead of embedding relevant webpages directly within the AI-generated summary, Google will now present cited webpages more prominently in a new section on the right side of the response. This updated format is rolling out today and will be available on mobile devices when users select the site icons in the top-right corner of the AI Overview.

Hema Budaraju, Google’s senior director of product management for Search, explains, “We are using the right-hand space to clearly display links to the AI Overview, allowing users to navigate easily to content of interest.” Regular search results will still be shown beneath the AI Overview.

Google is also testing the ability to link keywords within the AI Overviews. Users can click on these links to access relevant websites, enhancing the navigation experience. Early tests have indicated positive outcomes, with increased traffic to publisher sites.

Additional features in AI Overviews include the option to save summaries for later review and a button for simplifying complex AI Overviews. Both features are part of the “AI Overviews and more” experiment in Search Labs, currently available for English queries in the US.

These AI Overviews will be available in local languages for each of the new countries: the UK, India, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico, and Brazil. After launching in the US in May, Google addressed earlier issues with the feature, ensuring that quality and safety are prioritized through rigorous evaluation and testing processes.

Budaraju notes, “While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for search, we are dedicated to learning and listening actively to improve our technology.”