Google tests query refinement bubbles above AI Overviews
Google is testing query refinement bubbles at the top of AI Overviews in Search. Tapping a bubble does not run a new search for that refined query. Instead it opens AI Mode, with the text of the bubble used as the prompt.
Gagan Ghotra spotted the test and shared a screenshot, noting it appears for some languages. The behaviour means the refinement step now feeds Google's conversational AI surface rather than the standard results page.
For brands chasing citations in AI answers, the shift matters: a refinement tap moves a searcher out of the classic results list and into AI Mode, where the answer and its cited sources are assembled differently. Visibility in AI Overviews alone may not carry across that handover.
Reported by Search Engine Roundtable ↗
Topics: AI Overviews, AI Mode, Google Search