Google AI Mode to Feature More Source Links
â–Ľ Summary
– Google is updating its AI Mode search feature to include more in-line links to sources, accompanied by AI-generated snippets explaining their relevance.
– This update follows a European Commission investigation into whether Google violates competition rules by using publisher content in AI features without proper compensation.
– Google is launching a pilot program with publishers like The Guardian to explore using AI to drive audience engagement, including AI-written article overviews in Google News.
– The company is globally expanding access to “preferred sources,” allowing English speakers to select preferred news outlets for top stories and highlighting subscription links.
– Google is also updating its Web Guide experiment in Search Labs, using Gemini AI to categorize results and improving its load speed to appear for more searches.
In a significant update to its search experience, Google is enhancing its AI Mode feature to prominently display more source links directly within its AI-generated responses. This move aims to provide greater transparency about the origins of the information presented. The company plans to embed these links alongside brief, AI-written explanations that clarify why each source is relevant to the user’s query. For instance, when discussing budget-friendly home decor, the AI might list sources above a link carousel, noting they suggest ideas like secondhand shopping or DIY projects.
This development arrives shortly after the European Commission initiated a probe into Google’s potential breach of competition rules, specifically examining if the tech giant uses publisher content within AI features without fair compensation. Google has previously contested research indicating that AI Overviews reduce click-through rates to websites, maintaining that overall click volume has stayed consistent.
Alongside this core update, Google is launching a collaborative pilot program with major publishers such as The Guardian and The Washington Post. The initiative seeks to understand how artificial intelligence can potentially increase audience engagement. One test involves showcasing AI-generated summaries of news articles directly within Google News. Furthermore, partnerships with The Associated Press and other entities will feed real-time information into the Gemini application.
The company is also broadening the availability of its “preferred sources” feature to English speakers worldwide. This tool lets users choose their favored news outlets to prioritize in Top Stories results. A complementary new feature will spotlight links from a user’s personal news subscriptions, gathering them into a dedicated section. Google states this functionality will debut in the Gemini app before expanding to AI Overviews and AI Mode.
Another experimental tool receiving attention is Web Guide, available through Search Labs. It employs Gemini AI to automatically categorize search results into thematic groups. Google reports it has doubled the loading speed of Web Guide and will now make the feature available for a wider variety of search queries.
(Source: The Verge)
