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AI Answers In Google Search: What Has Changed

Google now shows an AI-written summary, called an AI Overview, at the top of many searches. Google says over 2 billion people a month see them. In one UK study, about 30% of searches showed one. A US study found people click on fewer links when a summary appears, so check important answers.

Last checked 16 October 2026. Every figure on this page links to its source below.

What Is An AI Overview?

When you search on Google, you may see a short block of text at the top marked "AI Overview". An AI model writes it by pulling together information from several websites, with links to some of them. It appears before the normal list of results.

You did not have to switch it on. For most people it just started appearing.

How Many People See AI Answers?

In July 2025 Google's chief executive said AI Overviews had over 2 billion monthly users in more than 200 countries and territories and 40 languages.

In the UK, Ofcom's Online Nation report, published in December 2025, found that four in five adults (82%) use Google Search. About 30% of searches now show an AI Overview, and 53% of adults say they see these summaries often.

Do People Still Click On Websites?

Pew Research Center studied the browsing of 900 US adults in March 2025, covering 68,879 Google searches. About 18% of those searches produced an AI summary.

What US Google users did next (March 2025)

Clicked a normal result link: page WITH an AI summary8%
Clicked a normal result link: page WITHOUT an AI summary15%
Clicked a link inside the AI summary1%
Ended their browsing: page WITH a summary26%
Ended their browsing: page WITHOUT a summary16%
Source: Pew Research Center, 22 July 2025. Share of visits to Google search pages.

Pew also found summaries appeared far more often for questions. Some 60% of searches starting with words such as "who", "what" or "why" produced one.

Are AI Overviews Accurate?

They are often useful, but like any AI tool they can get things wrong or miss details. Pew found that 88% of summaries cited three or more sources, which gives you something to check. For anything about your health, money or legal rights, open the source and look for an official site.

What It Means For You

  • Treat the AI Overview as a starting point, not the final answer.
  • Click through to the source, especially if it is a government (.gov or .gov.uk) or NHS site.
  • Be extra careful with phone numbers. Scammers have tried to get fake numbers into search results. Our guide to checking phone numbers and websites from AI shows how.
  • If you would rather not see them, our guide on turning off AI Overviews explains your options.

Common Questions

Can I turn off AI Overviews?

Google does not offer a simple off switch for everyone. Our guide on turning off AI Overviews explains the workarounds that exist.

Why do I see AI Overviews more for questions?

Pew found 60% of searches starting with words like who, what, when or why produced a summary, compared with 8% of one or two word searches.

How many UK searches show AI answers?

Ofcom says about 30% of Google searches in the UK show an AI Overview, and 53% of adults say they see them often.

Should I trust a phone number from an AI Overview?

Check it first on the company's official website or a letter or bill. Never call a number just because a search summary shows it.

New to all this? Our free AI Starter Guide walks you through the basics, and you can print it.

Read Next

Sources

Last checked 16 October 2026.

Updated 19 October 2026