Weekly Prompt: Google’s AI overviews are going global and more news

Google is expanding its AI-generated overviews to six new countries, with additional enhancements on the way

Google is expanding its AI-generated summaries, known as AI Overviews, to six new countries. The feature, which was first introduced to U.S. users in May, is now available in the United Kingdom, India, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico, and Brazil. These summaries appear at the top of search result pages, offering users a quick overview of search queries in local languages such as Hindi and Portuguese.

As part of the expansion, Google is also enhancing the AI Overviews with additional links. These will now appear alongside the summaries, both on desktop and mobile, providing direct access to relevant websites. The company is testing the inclusion of hyperlinks within the text of the AI-generated summaries, aiming to maintain strong traffic to publisher sites.

In response to concerns that AI summaries might reduce referral traffic, Google has emphasised its commitment to driving engagement. The new features, it says, will benefit users, publishers, and the company alike.

Additionally, Google is testing two new experimental features within its Search Labs platform in the U.S. These include a tool for saving AI Overviews for later reference and a feature that simplifies the AI-generated summaries for easier understanding.

Sources: Reuters, Social Media Today, Techradar

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