Google’s AI search results will make links more obvious

1 hour ago 24

Emma Roth

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.

Google says it will now display links more prominently inside its AI-powered features in Search. Robby Stein, the vice president of Google Search, announced on Tuesday that a list of links will now appear inside a pop-up when you hover over the sources in AI Overviews and AI Mode on desktop, alongside a description of each linked article and accompanying images.

Stein adds that Google will also show these “more descriptive and prominent link icons” in its AI responses on desktop and mobile. “Our testing shows this new UI is more engaging, making it easier to get to great content across the web,” Stein writes.

Image: Google

While AI Overviews appear as an AI-generated summary at the top of Search, AI Mode offers a chatbot-style search experience that lets you look for information without having to navigate to the original online sources. Google only continues to expand on these features, amid concerns that its AI search results are tanking traffic to news publishers and other websites. The company has defended its changes to Search, but admitted the open web is in “rapid decline.”

Last year, the European Commission also began investigating the company’s AI search features, including whether Google violated competition rules by using content from digital publishers in its AI responses without “appropriate compensation.” Google has since said that it’s “exploring” allowing publishers to opt out of appearing in its AI search features, and also started linking to more sources in AI Mode.

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