Google’s AI Overviews may get a little better with this new feature

Artificial Intelligence is becoming increasingly integrated into Google Search, with new features being tested to enhance the AI Overview summaries first introduced earlier this year.

Key development: Google is testing a feature that allows users to select text within AI Overviews to generate additional, nested AI-generated summaries focused on the selected content.

• The experimental feature was discovered in version 15.45.33 beta of the Google app on a Pixel 7a
• Users can highlight specific portions of an AI Overview to receive more detailed information about that particular topic
• The nested summaries appear in a resizable card that allows users to still view the original Overview

Technical limitations: The new functionality operates within specific constraints to maintain usability and prevent excessive nesting of AI-generated content.

• The feature only works with text contained within the original AI Overview, not with general search results
• Users can only generate one additional level of nested summaries, preventing infinite chains of AI Overviews
• The limitation to one level of nesting helps maintain clarity and encourages users to initiate new searches for further information

User experience considerations: The new feature represents Google’s continued efforts to make AI-generated content more useful and interactive within search results.

• The resizable card format allows users to maintain context while exploring additional information
• The feature provides a streamlined way to dive deeper into specific topics without starting a new search
• Some users remain skeptical of AI-generated content and prefer to opt out of such features when possible

Looking ahead: While this experimental feature shows promise for enhancing search interactions, its limited testing phase and single-level constraint suggest Google is taking a measured approach to expanding AI’s role in search results, possibly in response to user concerns about AI-generated content and information accuracy.