Google Search upgrades AI Overviews with Gemini 3 and conversational follow-up questions

AI Overviews gets upgraded to Gemini 3 with a dash of AI Mode

It can be hard sometimes to keep up with the deluge of generative AI in Google products. Even if you try to avoid it all, there are some features that still manage to get in your face. Case in point: AI Overviews. This AI-powered search experience has a reputation for getting things wrong, but you may notice some improvements soon. Google says AI Overviews is being upgraded to the latest Gemini 3 models with a more conversational bent. In just the last year, Google has radically expanded the number of searches on which you get an AI Overview at the top. Today, the chatbot will almost always have an answer for your query, which has relied mostly on models in Google's Gemini 2.5 family. There was nothing wrong with Gemini 2.5 as generative AI models go, but Gemini 3 is a little better by every metric. There are, of course, multiple flavors of Gemini 3, and Google doesn't like to be specific about which ones appear in your searches. What Google does say is that AI Overviews chooses the right model for the job. So if you're searching for something simple for which there are a lot of valid sources, AI Overviews may manifest something like Gemini 3 Flash without running through a ton of reasoning tokens. For a complex "long tail" query, it could step up the thinking or move to Gemini 3 Pro (for paying subscribers). Make no mistake -- Gemini 3 can still make mistakes like any other gen AI system. That said, it does get things right more often than the previous model. The lightweight Gemini 3 Flash model more than doubled its score in knowledge-based benchmarks compared to the 2.5 branch. Since you really can't get away from AI Overviews (without leaving Google), it's at least nice Google is deploying models that get things right more often. As part of this update, Google is also pushing AI Mode even harder by creating a bridge between it and AI Overviews. Google says that testers prefer an experience that can move naturally from a search paradigm to a conversational one. Thus, AI Overviews will gain the ability to hand off follow-up questions to AI Mode. According to Google, this "fluid" experience is better at giving people what they want when they type something into the search bar -- a quick factoid or a deep conversation. However, the expansion of AI Mode into the traditional search experience will also continue to pull people away from Google's increasingly forsaken list of blue links. AI Mode may be scraping its content from those sites, but it keeps users bottled up in the Google bubble. That's search in the AI era.

Google now lets users jump from AI Overviews into AI Mode conversations

Google is rolling out the ability for users to ask follow-up questions directly from AI Overviews, which are the AI-generated summaries at the top of Google Search results. Now, users will be able to jump into a conversational back and forth with AI Mode, Google's conversational Search feature for complex questions. The tech giant also announced that it's making Gemini 3 the new default model for AI Overviews globally. The company said in a blog post that this update will give users "a best-in-class AI response right on the search results page." Tuesday's announcements mark Google's ongoing efforts to make Search less of a static search results experience and more of an interactive, AI-driven experience. "People come to Search for an incredibly wide range of questions - sometimes to find information quickly, like a sports score or the weather, where a simple result is all you need," Robby Stein, VP of Product, Google Search, said in a blog post. "But for complex questions or tasks where you need to explore a topic deeply, you should be able to seamlessly tap into a powerful conversational AI experience." Google says its testing shows that users prefer an experience that flows naturally into a conversation, and that asking follow-up questions while preserving context from AI Overviews makes Search more helpful. The new experience is designed to feel like a single flow, with links that let users move from a quick snapshot to a deeper conversation as needed, the tech giant says. The updates come a few days after Google announced that it's bringing "Personal Intelligence" to AI Mode, enabling it to tap into your Gmail and Google Photos to provide more individualized responses. The company debuted Personal Intelligence earlier this month in the Gemini app to allow the AI assistant to tailor its responses by connecting across your Google ecosystem, starting with Gmail, Photos, Search, and YouTube history. Google also recently brought AI Overviews to Gmail, letting users search their inbox using natural language to get quick answers instead of having to rely on traditional keyword search and open multiple emails to find specific information. The company made the announcement alongside the debut of its new AI Inbox.

More AI Is Coming to Google Search, Including a Chatbot-Like Interface

Google wants you to use its iconic search engine the way you use Gemini. The company announced on Tuesday that it's expanding its AI Overviews, which will now be powered by Gemini 3 and come with an AI chat window to answer follow-up questions. There's no obvious way to turn off AI Overviews in Google Search (you can try this workaround to create a custom search shortcut in your browser). You won't be required to use the prompting window to ask follow-up questions, but you'll be redirected to Google's AI Mode if you do. AI Mode is an AI-driven, agentic search experience, where you can let AI take the wheel and do the bulk of the work in your search queries. Google has been testing this ability for a while, with Robby Stein, Google's vice president of product for Google Search, teasing an early iteration in December. The new feature is rolling out globally on mobile now. How we search Google is changing, again For a long time, Google has told us that the best way to get the search results we want is to be strategic about keywords. It's why you see so many search suggestions that aren't grammatically correct but include the necessary signals to get Google to pull up the right pages. Now, Google is saying we don't need to be so picky. We can use longer, more conversational searches to get the results we want. Over the past few years, we've been trained to interact with AI differently than we do with search engines. We type and talk with chatbots using natural language, since that's what they can understand and mimic in their results. The new changes in Google's AI Overviews are trending toward us being able to interact with Search the same way we do with Gemini. It's all part of Google's broader strategy to integrate its AI into all its products, from Search to Pixel smartphones. The tech giant recently introduced personalized intelligence, which lets you connect your Google apps to tailor your AI results to your life and interests. For example, you can link your Google Photos, and personalized intelligence can see that you enjoy ice cream trips on vacations and include some options in your AI-planned itinerary. The goal, Stein said in a blog, is "one fluid experience with prominent links to continue exploring." More AI in Google Search is likely bad news for publishers, who have already felt the adverse effects of AI Overviews. The additional search bar for follow-up questions (that redirects to AI Mode) is yet another way Google is shoving blue links even further down the page, if people bother to check them at all. For more, check out our review of Nano Banana Pro and tips for using NotebookLM. Don't miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Google Search now lets you ask AI Overviews follow-up questions

Google is making Search less about links and more about AI. The company is upgrading its AI-powered search features, adding Gemini 3 to AI Overviews and letting users ask follow-up questions "seamlessly" to make sure Search can answer "whatever's on your mind," a move that feels closer to using an AI chatbot than a search engine. If Overviews' summary leaves you wanting more, you can now jump straight into a conversation with AI Mode. "A quick snapshot when you need it, and deeper conversation when you want it," says Google Search vice president of product Robby Stein. Switching between the two features looks incredibly easy -- just scroll and type -- going by a test video Stein shared last year. Overviews are getting an upgrade too, with Gemini 3 now the default model powering the AI-generated summaries globally, Stein says. The model, which wowed observers when it launched last year, means Overview answers will be "best-in-class," Stein says. Users have had mixed results with previous models. The upgrades come as part of a broader seismic shift at Google as the company seems to be transitioning away from Search and pushes AI interactions above links. Google did not immediately respond to The Verge's request for comment on when it plans to do away with Search entirely. Disclosure: Vox Media, The Verge's parent company, has filed a lawsuit against Google, seeking damages from its illegal ad tech monopoly.

Gemini 3 is now Google's default model for AI Overviews

Google has begun rolling out two upgrades for Search. Starting today, Gemini 3 is the default model powering AI Overviews. When the company debuted its new family of AI systems last November, it first deployed Gemini 3 in AI Overviews through a router that was programmed to direct the most difficult questions to the new system. Now Google is making Gemini 3 the standard for all users globally. In practice, Gemini 3 should prove better at generating more credible and relevant summaries. As for that second upgrade, now you can jump into AI Mode conversation directly from an AI Overview. Google first previewed this feature late last year. "In our testing, we've found that people prefer an experience that flows naturally into a conversation -- and that asking follow-up questions while keeping the context from AI Overviews makes Search more helpful," said Robby Stein, vice president of product for Google Search. "It's one fluid experience with prominent links to continue exploring: a quick snapshot when you need it, and deeper conversation when you want it." If you're using Google Search on a mobile device, you can jump directly into an AI Mode conversation from an AI Overview starting today.

Google AI Overviews get Gemini 3 upgrade, seamless AI Mode transfer

Google is rolling out two notable updates to AI Overviews in Search, starting with Gemini 3. "Gemini 3" is now the new default model for AI Overviews around the world. Google touts a "best-in-class AI response right on the search results page." This follows AI Mode getting Gemini 3 Flash and Pro at the end of last year. Additionally, tapping "Show more" to finish reading an Overview will take you to AI Mode's chat interface. This lets you quickly ask a follow-up question. This has been in testing since December, and Google found that "people prefer an experience that flows naturally into a conversation." Additionally, "asking follow-up questions while keeping the context from AI Overviews makes Search more helpful." This is now rolling out globally on mobile. It's one fluid experience with prominent links to continue exploring: a quick snapshot when you need it, and deeper conversation when you want it. Meanwhile, AI Mode on Android now lets you access the model switcher (and use Thinking) before your first prompt. AI Mode in the Google app on Android and iOS has a unique 'homepage' experience that differs from google.com/ai in your browser. The 'plus' menu has now gained the "Models" picker to select between Default and Thinking. Previously, you could only switch models on mobile after your initial prompt. This was a weird mobile limitation, and comes as this experience still lacks access to Deep Search. We're seeing this rolled out to the Google app beta with an AI Pro subscription today.

Google Search gets smarter AI Overviews with Gemini 3 -- and adds follow‑up chats to your search results

* Google Search now uses Gemini 3 to generate answers for AI Overviews * The upgrade is aimed at improving answers to more complex questions * The update also enables users to move straight from AI Overviews to a conversation in AI Mode Google Search has upgraded its AI Overview answers with its Gemini 3 AI model to better respond to complex queries in a single snapshot. The update also allows you to go from an AI Overview answer directly into a conversation in Google Search's AI Mode on mobile without having to switch tabs or start over. AI Overviews, those little summaries that sit above traditional search results, are designed to condense long, messy answers to complicated questions without requiring clicking on links. Making Gemini 3 the default model for AI Overviews on mobile globally means the responses will be smarter, longer, and better structured, according to Google. Improved as those answers are, they may not be everything you want. That's where the connection between the static AI Overviews and the interactive AI Mode for Google Search comes in. The upgrade makes it easier to leap from that snapshot into a full conversational back‑and‑forth with AI Mode. Previously, if you wanted to turn your overview into a full conversation, you would need to click on the AI Mode tab and start the search anew. Now, you can stay within the flow of your search results and keep going deeper with minimal friction. In early tests, Google found that people naturally wanted to have these conversational extensions of search, rather than hitting a wall after the first AI‑generated answer. If the overview gives you a starting point, the conversation lets you unpack every detail without having to start a new search. You can then refine your question, ask about exceptions, or even bring in tables and other visuals within the same thread. Conversational transitions Gemini 3 makes both the quick snapshot and the deeper conversation more useful. Google hopes that if your exploration of a topic doesn't end after the first answer, you'll be able to satisfy your curiosity without leaving its sandbox. For most people, that means the digestible summary at the top can immediately become a deeper, more nuanced conversation without switching tabs, rewriting your question, or losing context. It's search that remembers what you were asking and anticipates follow‑ups. Context matters here. Search has always been about quick answers for simple things like sports scores or weather, but life's big questions are often complex and nuanced. Knowing that "what to consider before buying a house" isn't something you solve with a snippet makes Google's conversational layer feel timely. The ability to ask follow‑ups and keep context means fewer redundant queries and less re‑framing for subtler angles on your problem. Of course, not every question will be better served by conversation. Google's effort to use the right model where appropriate, with the lighter models for quick answers, and Gemini 3 for deeper queries, reflects this balancing act. And there's a question of accuracy. No matter how well the AI models perform, hallucinations crop up, and well-crafted answers and dialogue aren't very useful if they are outright wrong. But a search experience that feels less like fishing for answers and more like having your fish dinner prepared per your conversation with the chef is undeniably going to appeal to those in a hurry, even if the fish is occasionally made of rubber. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button! And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

Google brings AI Mode and Gemini 3 to AI Overviews

Google is bringing AI Mode and Gemini 3 to AI Overviews. Credit: Rasit Aydogan/Anadolu via Getty Images AI Mode is in your AI Overviews now on Google Search. On Tuesday, Google announced that it was rolling out a new feature to Google Search on mobile that adds the ability for users to ask follow-up questions directly within AI Overviews and continue to carry on conversations about the topic in AI Mode. Google originally shared that they were testing the feature last month. "People come to Search for an incredibly wide range of questions - sometimes to find information quickly, like a sports score or the weather, where a simple result is all you need," Google said in its announcement. "But for complex questions or tasks where you need to explore a topic deeply, you should be able to seamlessly tap into a powerful conversational AI experience." AI Overviews are the AI-generated summaries at the top of many search results pages. They answer a user's query without the user having to leave the Google Search page, which has led to a "traffic apocalypse" that's crushing many news websites, whose content often powers AI overviews. Yet, as Mashable reporting has shown, Google AI Overviews continues to make basic factual mistakes. Mobile users will now be able to click the "See More" tab at the bottom of the AI Overview and access a text input bar where they can take their conversation to AI mode and continue to dive deeper into their query based on the initial results. In addition to this, Google also announced that its latest and most powerful AI model, Gemini 3, will now be the default model for AI Overviews globally. Google continues to roll out new AI features across its products as it makes moves to dethrone OpenAI as the de facto AI leader. These new search-related features also help Google further assert itself as the search engine giant, as OpenAI starts to make gains in that area. Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable's parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

Just ask anything: a seamless new Search experience

This content is generated by Google AI. Generative AI is experimental People come to Search for an incredibly wide range of questions -- sometimes to find information quickly, like a sports score or the weather, where a simple result is all you need. But for complex questions or tasks where you need to explore a topic deeply, you should be able to seamlessly tap into a powerful conversational AI experience. Today we're rolling out two upgrades that bring us closer to this vision for Search: the ability to ask whatever's on your mind -- no matter how long or complex -- and find exactly what you need. First, we're making Gemini 3 the new default model for AI Overviews globally, so you get a best-in-class AI response right on the search results page, for questions where it's helpful. Second, we're making the transition to a conversation even more seamless. Now, you can easily ask a follow-up question right from an AI Overview, and jump into a conversational back and forth with AI Mode. In our testing, we've found that people prefer an experience that flows naturally into a conversation -- and that asking follow-up questions while keeping the context from AI Overviews makes Search more helpful. It's one fluid experience with prominent links to continue exploring: a quick snapshot when you need it, and deeper conversation when you want it. So next time you have a question, find your nearest Google search bar, and just ask anything.

Google Search Gets Upgraded to Gemini 3

We may earn a commission when you click links to retailers and purchase goods. More info. Google is upgrading the default model for AI Overview globally in Search. Moving forward, the show will be ran by Gemini 3, which was first launched back in November. While this should mean faster and more helpful AI answers directly on a search results page, Google is also adding a big feature that I know a few of us have thought about. The introduction of conversations with the AI Overview is rolling out. Google says, "Now, you can easily ask a follow-up question right from an AI Overview, and jump into a conversational back and forth with AI Mode." From my perspective, this is good if I want to push back on information I receive from AI Overview. The feature is not perfect with the information it provides at times, so don't mind me if I get into a little back and forth with this AI bot. "Since beginning testing late last year, we've found that people prefer an experience that flows naturally into a conversation - and that asking follow-up questions while keeping the context from AI Overviews makes Search more helpful," Google said in its blog post. Both of these changes are rolling out today. Go try them out.