Key Highlights:
- Google makes Gemini 3 the default model for AI Overviews globally, enabling the feature to provide better responses on the Google Search results page.
- Additionally, you can now ask follow-up questions directly from an AI Overview, continuing the conversation in AI Mode.
- Google says that, in early testing, users preferred keeping context from AI Overviews while asking follow-ups, as it makes Search feel more natural and helpful.
Google has recently been aggressively upgrading its products and services with AI. Speaking of which, Google Search is one of them. As you may know, Google Search has had AI Overviews for a long time now. The generative AI feature was launched back in 2024 at the company’s annual I/O event. Since then, the company has made a few upgrades to AI Overviews in Google Search.
Google Search’s AI Overviews will now be globally powered by Gemini 3 by default
Well, Google is reshaping how we approach AI Overviews in Search. Today, the company announced two major upgrades related to AI Overviews, which make Google Search smarter and more interactive. First, Google has made Gemini 3 the default model powering AI Overviews worldwide. Going forward, whenever Search determines that an AI-generated summary is useful, it now taps into this latest model to provide clearer answers and better reasoning for users.
The second, and arguably the biggest change, is how AI Overviews handle follow-up questions. Previously, AI Overviews felt like a dead end. You’d get your summary and then have to rephrase your query to dig deeper. That’s changing, thanks to this update. Now, you can jump directly from an AI Overview into AI Mode, which helps you keep the context intact and continue the conversation seamlessly. Google says this will eventually make Search feel more natural, especially for complex or multi-step queries.
The company also noted that, in internal tests, users prefer this back-and-forth approach, which mirrors the experience of real conversations. Google sees this upgrade as a complement to traditional Search, and not a replacement. You’ll still get the classic results, but now with an interactive AI layer on top. The update is already rolling out globally on mobile, allowing anyone to experience the new conversational handoff between AI Overviews and AI Mode. In practice, you can now research topics, explore answers, or follow threads of information in a way that feels smoother and more intuitive than ever.
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AI Overviews in Google Search is a real problem for news publishers
Ever since AI Overviews were added to Google Search, many found it quite overwhelming. In the past, publishers have complained that the feature has depleted the Search traffic they used to get in the past. Given that the company has spent billions on AI, it won’t stop anytime soon. Microsoft has been under fire for a long time now for stuffing Copilot into all parts of Windows 11. Frankly speaking, Google is doing the same. However, the fact that its AI features are actually being used, and people are finding them useful means it is sticking well with users. Just to be clear, the features I’m referring to are not AI Overviews, because they frustrate me just as much as some of you.
