Google AI Overviews image generation returns for some searchers
Google appears to be restoring image generation inside AI Overviews for some users, months after the feature was pulled. The capability was first announced in July and paused in August following controversy. Results now vary by browser: some searchers can trigger generated images, while others are told the assistant "cannot generate images directly."
Google's original July statement said the aim was to bring "unique ideas to life" by putting image generation directly into AI Overviews in Search. When the test was halted, Robby Stein said it had been a small experiment that was no longer running, and that it was separate from the Nano Banana feature, which only fires when a user explicitly asks for an image.
For brands, the return matters because AI Overviews are a surface where answers are assembled rather than linked. Generated visuals sit alongside those answers, and the rollout is uneven, so visibility in AI Overviews may differ between users and browsers for now.
Reported by Search Engine Roundtable ↗
Topics: AI Overviews, Google Search