Why Google adding AI to its searches is a really big deal

Over the past couple of decades, Google’s search engine has been arguably the single most important force in dictating what the modern internet looks like, to the point where the company’s name has become the literal dictionary definition of finding something on the web.

The Big Tech giant recently began rolling out a dramatic change to how its searches work in a move that could have a massive impact, not just for Google itself, but for the entire online ecosystem.

Starting earlier this month, responses generated by artificial intelligence began showing up above the usual list of blue links on certain search queries. These answers, called AI Overviews, use Google’s AI model Gemini to compile information from across the web to provide a succinct answer with zero scrolling or extra clicks.