Google AI Overviews are tested and removed based on engagement

Google shows AI Overviews in Search largely based on whether users engage with them — and removes them when they don’t.

That’s according to Robby Stein, Google’s VP of product for Search. In a CNN interview, Stein explained how Google tunes AI-driven results as it expands ads, personalization, and visual search across its experiences.

Engagement drives AI Overviews. Google tests AI Overviews on specific query types and keeps them only if users find them useful. If users don’t click, interact, or show value, the overview disappears. The system then applies that learning to similar queries, Stein said:

• “The system will learn — so it’ll try it — and then see if people engage with it for certain kinds of questions…
• “What happens is the system will learn that if it tried to do an AI Overview, no one really clicked on it or engaged with it or valued it. We have lots of metrics. We look at that. And then it won’t show up. And then the system kind of generalizes that over time. And what you see at Google is a reflection of our best understanding of what’s most helpful for a user for a given question.”

Why we care. Much of the SEO conversation focuses on appearing in AI Overviews. Google is making it clear that those placements depend on user engagement. If searchers don’t interact with AI Overviews for certain query types, Google may stop showing them altogether. That could reduce AI visibility for brands and publishers.

AI and personalization. Google personalizes some aspects of AI search, but Stein described it as a “smaller adjustment” rather than a major reshaping of results:

• “So if you’re the kind of person that would always click a video, you might see video results higher.
• “But right now that’s … a smaller adjustment … to the experience because we want to keep it as consistent as possible overall. But I think over time our goal is to create something that’s great for you.”

Ads and monetization in AI search. Google is actively testing ads inside AI-powered search experiences, including AI Overviews and AI Mode.

Google is actively experimenting with ads inside AI-powered search experiences — including AI Overviews and AI Mode.

• Ads will appear “when helpful,” Stein said, following Google’s long-standing Search ad philosophy. He added that “the vast majority of Google searches do not have ads.”
• AI-driven shopping, comparisons, and product research are key use cases.
• “Transparency and clarity that this is a sponsored item is really an important principle,” Stein said.

Visual search growth. Visual search is one of Google’s fastest-growing behaviors, according to Stein.

• Usage is up 70% year over year.
• About 1 billion users use visual search tools like Google Lens.
• Circle to Search on Android is being used product discovery, outfit matching, and real-world queries.

The CNN interview. The best way to search for info online in the AI era | Terms of Service