GEO news
What is changing in AI search. Each item is a summary with a link to the outlet that reported it.
Google's AI Overviews: fewer sources cited, more shopping queries covered
Google's AI Overviews have shifted substantially through 2026, with the average number of sources cited per answer falling from a spring peak of 16.31 in April to 7.66 in October, roughly half the earlier level and close to the 6.82 recorded in November 2024.
Source: SE Ranking Blog
Google makes Gemini 4 Hydrogen the default model in AI Mode worldwide
Google has made Gemini 4 Hydrogen the default model in AI Mode for every user worldwide, starting today.
Source: Search Engine Journal
Affiliate links still count as Google moves checkout into AI Mode and Gemini
Google's Universal Commerce Protocol lets US shoppers complete a purchase inside AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app without ever visiting the retailer's site.
Source: Search Engine Journal
Google swaps in Gemini 4 Hydrogen as the default model for AI Mode
Google has made Gemini 4 Hydrogen the default model in AI Mode and the model behind its hardest AI Overviews questions, rolling it out globally to all Search users.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Gemini 4 Carbon arrives in Google Search AI Mode for Ultra subscribers
Google has made Gemini 4 Carbon available in AI Mode within Google Search, but only for Google AI Ultra subscribers.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Google AI Mode multiturn ads go live on follow-up queries
Google's multiturn ads are now appearing in AI Mode, showing sponsored results against follow-up questions rather than only the first query in a conversation.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Bing puts ads at the top of AI Mode answers
Microsoft has begun placing ads at the top of Bing's AI Mode results, the assistant formerly known as Copilot Search. Both standard search ads and shopping ads appear above the generated answer, and the sponsored labels are faint enough that they are easy to miss at a glance.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Google says AI Mode queries arrive earlier and earn less, as paid search shifts up the funnel
Google's Shivani Mohan, vice president of data science and user experience research for Search, told advertisers on 28 October that people are now bringing much longer, more detailed questions to Google, including types of query they would never previously have thought to ask.
Source: Search Engine Journal
Google AI Mode asks searchers to 'continue with this search'
Google has begun showing a "continue with this search" prompt to people entering AI Mode, encouraging them to carry on a search they had started rather than abandon it.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Google Pushes AI Mode Users To Opt In To Personal Intelligence
Google has begun showing pop-up notifications inside AI Mode that prompt searchers to switch on Personal Intelligence. The prompt reads "Supercharge Search with Personal Intelligence" and carries a blue continue button that takes users into the setup flow.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Google AI Mode Adds Home Services Booking With Angi, Thumbtack and Others
Google has added home services booking to AI Mode, putting booking buttons directly into service listings that appear in its AI-generated answers. The feature is live in the United States only.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Google opens UCP direct checkout to Canadian shoppers in AI Mode and Gemini
Google has extended direct checkout built on the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) to shoppers in Canada, letting them buy from eligible retailers without leaving AI Mode in Google Search or the Gemini app.
Source: Search Engine Journal
Google AI Mode Now Serves Up to Four Ads Per Query
Google is now displaying as many as four ads inside AI Mode responses for a single query, up from the one to three that users typically saw. Sachin Patel captured a screenshot of a four-ad AI Mode result, which circulated on Search Engine Watch.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
Google AI Mode now takes bookings and quote requests for US home services
Google has started letting home service businesses take bookings and quote requests that originate in AI Mode, working through partner platforms rather than direct integrations.
Source: Search Engine Journal
Google AI Mode flight answers link only to Google Flights
Google's AI Mode returned links exclusively to Google Flights in every flight-related query tested, according to Barry Schwartz, who ran searches for several domestic US and international destinations over the weekend.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable
