Introduction to Google’s AI Overviews
Google’s AI Overviews are summaries that appear in search results to provide users with a quick and easy-to-understand answer to their questions. However, these overviews don’t show up consistently across Google Search because the system learns where they’re useful and pulls them back when people don’t engage. This means that AI Overviews are not shown by default, but rather are displayed based on learned usefulness.
How Google Decides When to Show AI Overviews
According to Robby Stein, Vice President of Product at Google Search, the system learns where AI Overviews are helpful and will only show them if users have engaged with them and find them useful. This means that for many questions, people just ask a short question or look for a very specific website, and AI Overviews won’t show up because they’re not actually helpful in many cases. For example, when someone searches for an athlete’s name, they typically want photos, biographical details, and social media links, and the system has learned that people don’t engage with an AI Overview for those queries.
What "Under the Hood" Queries Mean for Visibility
Stein described the system as sometimes expanding a search beyond what you type. Google issues additional Google queries under the hood to expand your search and then brings you the most relevant information for a given question. This may help explain why pages sometimes show up in AI Overview citations even when they don’t match your exact query wording. The system pulls in content answering related sub-questions or providing context. For image-focused queries, AI Overviews integrate with image results, and for shopping queries, they connect to product information. The system adapts based on what serves the question.
Where AI Mode Fits In
Stein described AI Mode as the next step for complicated questions that need follow-up conversation. The design assumes you start in traditional Search, get an Overview if it helps, then go deeper into AI Mode when you need more. AI Mode is designed to help users go deeper with a pretty complicated question, such as comparing cars or researching backup power options. During AI Mode testing, Google saw a significant increase in query length and users started asking follow-up questions in a conversational pattern.
Personalization Exists But Is Limited
Some personalization in AI Mode already exists, such as users who regularly click video results might see videos ranked higher. However, Google’s focus is on maintaining consistency across users while allowing for individual preferences where it makes sense. The personalization is limited today, but the direction is moving toward more tailored experiences that maintain overall consistency.
Why This Matters
Research showed that Google had dialed back AI Overviews presence by 52% in July 2024, from widespread appearance to showing for just 8% of queries. Stein’s description offers one possible explanation for that pattern. If you’re tracking AI Overviews presence week to week, the fluctuations may reflect user behavior patterns for different question types rather than algorithm changes. The "under the hood" query expansion means content can appear in citations even without matching your exact phrasing, which matters when explaining CTR drops internally or planning content for complex queries where Overviews are more likely to surface.
Looking Ahead
Google’s AI Overviews earn placement based on usefulness rather than appearing by default. Personalization is limited today, but the direction is moving toward more tailored experiences that maintain overall consistency. As Google continues to develop and refine its AI Overviews, it’s likely that we’ll see more accurate and helpful summaries in search results.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Google’s AI Overviews are an important part of the search experience, providing users with quick and easy-to-understand answers to their questions. The system’s ability to learn where AI Overviews are helpful and pull them back when people don’t engage is a key factor in their inconsistent appearance. As Google continues to develop and refine its AI Overviews, it’s likely that we’ll see more accurate and helpful summaries in search results, and a more personalized experience for users.