AI Overviews are the AI-generated summaries Google shows above the traditional results. They appear when Google's systems decide a generative answer would help, and searchers do not opt in.
They launched in the US at I/O in May 2024, out of the Search Generative Experience beta of 2023. They now reach more than 2.5 billion users a month in over 200 countries.
Google's description. AI Overviews help people "get to the gist" of a topic and act as a "jumping off point to explore links".
The citation slots inside the answer are what publishers now compete for.
From SGE to AI Overviews to AI Mode
Labs test in 2023, US launch in 2024, global rollout in 2025, merger with AI Mode in 2026.
The Search Generative Experience was the 2023 Labs beta that tested AI answers inside Search. AI Overviews replaced the name at the May 2024 US launch.
Google put monthly users at 1 billion in October 2024 and 1.5 billion in May 2025. The count reached 2 billion in July 2025 and 2.5 billion at I/O in May 2026.
Since I/O 2026 an overview is also the front door to AI Mode. The two run as one experience on Gemini 3.5 Flash: a quick snapshot that hands off into a conversation.
Can you turn AI Overviews off?
Not fully. The Web tab and browser extensions are what work for searchers.
There is no account setting that disables AI Overviews in normal Google results. Two things work for a searcher.
Use the Web filter. Click the "Web" tab after searching, or add udm=14 to the URL, for classic results with no AI answer.
Or use a browser extension that hides the block. That changes what you see, not what Google serves.
Turning them on is not a thing either. In supported countries they appear automatically when Google decides to show one.
What site owners can control
Four snippet directives, one Search Console control, and one token that does nothing here.
Four directives limit or remove your content from AI Overviews, and from regular snippets too: nosnippet, data-nosnippet, max-snippet and noindex.
Since June 2026 Search Console has an explicit control to block content from Google's AI features. It has been open to every property since 31st Aug 2026.
That control has a cost nobody measured until July 2026. A Top Stories carousel inside an AI Overview replaces the standalone carousel lower down.
So excluded sites may lose the embedded placement.
Google-Extended does nothing here. That robots.txt token governs Gemini training and grounding, not AI Overviews, as our AI crawlers page explains.
What they do to clicks
Panels, vendor keyword sets and two randomized experiments agree on the direction and differ on the size.
Pew found users clicked a result on 8% of visits with an AI summary against 15% without. Ahrefs' tracked set put the top result's click loss at 58% by December 2025.
The two randomized experiments are the causal evidence. One found organic clicks fell 39.8% when an overview showed; the other found hiding overviews raised click-through by 8.8 points.
Every measurement, with its design, is on our AI Overviews statistics table. The dated news record is the AI Overviews tracker.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
What is an AI Overview in Google?
An AI-generated summary Google shows above the regular results when its systems decide one would help. Google describes it as helping people "get to the gist" and as a "jumping off point to explore links".
When did AI Overviews launch?
At Google I/O in May 2024, in the US. They grew out of the 2023 Search Generative Experience beta, and global expansion followed through 2025.
How do I turn off Google AI Overviews?
You cannot fully, because there is no account setting. Use the "Web" tab after searching, or add udm=14 to the URL, for classic results with no AI answer.
How do I stop Google using my site in AI Overviews?
Use the nosnippet, data-nosnippet, max-snippet or noindex directives. Or use the Search Console control to block content from AI features, open to every property since 31st Aug 2026.
Google-Extended has no effect on AI Overviews.
Compiled by Claude from primary sources, checked by Akash Mansukhani before publication. See how we source and correct this page.Keywords Everywhere, "What are Google AI Overviews?", last updated 6th Sep 2026, https://keywordseverywhere.com/news/ai-overviews/what-are-ai-overviews/