Google Moves AI Search Links Higher as News Pilot Tops 400 Publications

Google is changing how AI Overviews and AI Mode display website links, adding more prominent routes from AI-generated Search answers to websites as it expands related features.

Announced Thursday, Oct. 15, the updates place inline links higher in responses more often.

A test will put a section near the top of some answers featuring one or two official websites relevant to a task or information need. Each link will include context explaining why it may be useful.

Google is also beginning to expand timely-article carousels to additional locations and languages. Those carousels will highlight users’ Preferred Sources. The number of people using Preferred Sources has grown more than seven times since the start of 2026.

Other changes give links at the end of some AI answers image thumbnails and a more prominent design. Google is testing clickable publisher and creator names on video results in AI Mode; selecting a name opens a Search profile.

These updates build on changes announced May 6, when Google added links beside relevant text in AI responses and website previews that appear when desktop users hover over inline links. AI Overviews and AI Mode are generative AI features within Google Search. The new features change how links appear in those responses.

In a separate announcement Thursday, Google said its News AI licensing pilot includes more than 400 publications worldwide. The program pays participating publishers for enhanced content used to develop AI features. Examples include article overviews on Google News publisher pages and customizable audio briefings.