Google is testing hiding the AI origins of its Search summaries

C. Scott Brown / Android Authority

Google seems to be making it more difficult for users to know that the summaries it provides at the top of search results are generated by AI. It’s testing a new layout for the AI Overviews feature that removes all mentions of AI from the preview.

In its current form, AI-generated summaries in Search feature a prominent AI Overview header with the Gemini logo. The feature also has a “Generative AI is experimental” tag at the bottom that appears when you tap the “Show more” button. However, as per Barry Schwartz on X, Google is testing a new layout that removes the AI Overview and Gemini logo header and replaces the large “Show more” button with a much smaller “More” button.

Although the “Generative AI is experimental” tag is still present in the new layout, it remains hidden until you tap the “More” button. As such, there’s no obvious indicator for users who aren’t familiar with the feature to know that the summaries are AI-generated.

Since Google itself admits that the feature is experimental and could possibly offer inaccurate information (as it has on multiple occasions in the past), its move to get rid of the AI Overviews header could prove detrimental to user experience. Fortunately, the new layout isn’t widely available at the moment. We hope Google realizes it’s a bad idea and doesn’t give it the green light.

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