Google is expanding its AI-powered search summaries to six additional countries: India, Brazil, Japan, the U.K., Indonesia, and Mexico. This rollout follows the initial introduction of AI overviews in the U.S. and comes with local language support for these new regions, allowing users to experience more tailored and relevant search results.
The tech giant is also revamping how it displays source material links within its AI-powered search results. To improve user navigation and transparency, Google is introducing a new feature that places site icons above the AI overviews on both desktop and mobile interfaces. These icons, located on the upper right-hand side of the screen, allow users to quickly tap and access the original sources cited in the AI summaries, offering a more straightforward path to explore in-depth information.
In addition to the icon feature, Google is experimenting with integrating relevant links directly within the text of AI overviews. This effort aims to drive more traffic to external websites by making it easier for users to identify and visit the original sources of the information presented in the AI summaries.
Google’s initiative to enhance AI-powered search summaries comes amid ongoing criticism of AI tools for not adequately crediting sources. Critics, including news outlets, have raised concerns about the ethical implications of AI-generated content that lacks clear attribution, accusing some platforms like Perplexity AI of plagiarism and unethical web scraping practices. Despite these criticisms, Google is optimistic about the impact of its AI overviews.
In a recent blog post, Google noted that AI overviews are leading users to a broader array of websites, particularly for more complex queries. The company emphasized that clicks from AI-overviewed search result pages are of higher quality, with users spending more time on the sites they visit.
However, Google has not yet disclosed any specific metrics regarding the amount of traffic being driven by its AI-powered search results. This contrasts with Perplexity AI, which recently revealed that a “double-digit percentage” of its visitors are clicking on external links.
As Google continues to refine its AI-driven search tools, these new features are expected to not only enhance the user experience but also address some of the concerns surrounding the visibility and attribution of source material in AI-generated content.
