Google Expands AI Summaries to Top of Search Results, Pushing Links Down

Google is intensifying its integration of artificial intelligence into its core search experience by automatically displaying full AI-generated summaries at the very top of search result pages for certain queries. This shift pushes the conventional list of website links further down the page, increasing the amount of scrolling required to access standard search results.

How the New Layout Works

Under the updated interface, the complete AI summary now appears first on the results page, followed immediately by an “Ask anything” input box. Only after those two elements does the traditional list of web links begin. As a result, users may need to scroll significantly farther to reach familiar destination sites or conventional organic results — rather than encountering them shortly after the initial portion of the AI summary.

Unclear Triggers and Inconsistent Rollout

According to a report by The Verge, AI summaries previously appeared in a compact format at the top of search results, with an “Expand” button allowing users to view more detail. Now, for select queries, Google displays the full summary automatically. However, the criteria Google uses to determine which searches trigger this expanded presentation remain unclear. The feature’s appearance is also inconsistent: it does not activate reliably even when repeating identical searches or switching between different browsers.

Google’s Rationale and User Experience Safeguards

Jennifer Kotz, a Google spokesperson, stated that AI summaries are automatically expanded in certain searches when Google’s systems determine the action would be most useful to users. She added that internal research indicates this approach enhances search utility and encourages deeper user engagement with exploratory and follow-up queries.

Kotz also confirmed that Google has implemented a responsiveness mechanism to prevent disruption during browsing. If a user begins scrolling past the AI summary to view content below it, the system automatically collapses the expanded summary — preserving the user’s current scroll position and preventing loss of reading context.

Strategic Shift in Search Design

The change reflects Google’s broader strategic direction to embed AI as a foundational layer of the search experience — delivering generated answers before users reach traditional links. At the same time, automatic expansion occupies substantially more vertical space on the results page, reducing the immediate visibility of websites and resources users historically accessed through standard search behavior.

Google continues to test the feature’s presentation. Automatic expansion is not applied uniformly across all searches, and the company has not disclosed the specific parameters governing when the expanded view activates.