Google announced changes to AI Overviews and AI Mode on October 15, 2026. The company says links to the web will appear higher in AI responses more often, making it easier to open a source while reading an answer. More visible links still do not guarantee that every claim in an AI answer is accurate.

What is changing in Google Search

  • For some searches, Google is testing a section at the top of an AI response for official websites. It says the section will explain why each link may be useful. No general release date has been announced.
  • Google is expanding news carousels, which show timely article links, to additional locations and languages. The carousels can include sources people have chosen as Preferred Sources.
  • In another test, creator and publisher names in video results in AI Mode will be clickable. Google says they will lead to Search profiles with more information about the creators and their work.

More links, but no accuracy guarantee

The changes could make it more convenient to check an answer against its sources. But readers still need to open the links and assess whether they support the claims in the answer.

The availability will differ by feature. Google says news carousels are beginning a broader rollout, while the official-websites section and clickable creator and publisher profiles are tests. The announcement does not list all supported locations or languages.

Google is making some sources easier to find in AI Search, but the dedicated official-sites section and creator profiles are not general releases.