Google has announced plans to make news articles and website links more visible in its AI-powered search results. The move comes as news publishers and brands warn that artificial intelligence summaries are reducing traffic to their websites.
The Alphabet-owned company has gradually introduced AI features into its search engine over the past two years. In May 2024, Google launched AI Overviews, which provide summarised answers to users’ questions instead of displaying only traditional search links.
In March 2025, the company introduced AI Mode, a separate search experience offering more detailed answers and additional links. Under its latest changes, Google AI search will display contextual links more frequently and place them higher in AI-generated content.
Google will also expand its link carousel worldwide. The feature displays cards with headlines and images for relevant articles directly below AI Overviews. The company aims to make it easier for users to discover original reporting and visit publishers’ websites.
The search engine will prioritise articles from websites users have selected as preferred sources. It will also incorporate relevant content from social media posts and online forums. Additionally, Google plans to make links at the end of AI-generated summaries more prominent for users seeking further information.
Alphabet chief executive Sundar Pichai said in the company’s second-quarter 2025 results that AI Overviews had more than two billion monthly users across over 200 countries. However, research has found that AI-generated summaries can reduce the likelihood of users clicking on suggested website links.
A report by consultancy Chartbeat found that news publishers experienced a 40 per cent decline in traffic from Google between July 2025 and July 2026. Meanwhile, France’s newspaper association Apig alerted the Competition Authority in August, arguing that AI summaries breached agreements reached with news publishers in 2022. Google’s latest changes could affect how readers discover news and how publishers attract online audiences.
