Google's search AI is called AI Overviews.
Rewind a year, and its codename was SGE — Search Generative Experience. Google launched this experimental feature in May 2023, tucked away in a corner called "Search Labs," requiring users to actively opt in. Back then, it was still green, like an actor rehearsing lines backstage.
In May 2024, Google suddenly announced: SGE was going legit, rebranded as AI Overviews, and opened to all logged-in users in the United States. No application needed, no consent forms — it just appeared at the very top of search results: an AI-generated answer summary with a handful of source links.
The rename itself says a lot.
"Generative Experience" sounds like avant-garde art. "Overview" is plain utilitarianism. Google clearly realized users don't need to know this thing was "generated" by a large language model — they just want a quick answer. Tech evangelism gave way to functional pragmatism.
But there's a deeper meaning behind this name change: Google is redefining what "search" means.
For two decades, search meant giving you a pile of links to pick through yourself. Now, search means giving you the answer. Not suggestions, not references, but direct, complete answers. AI Overviews sits at the top, pushing traditional search results down — behavior many interpret as Google's "zero-click search" ambition: getting you everything without ever leaving the Google page.
This sparked panic among content creators. If your site gets "summarized" by AI Overviews, do users still need to click through to the original? Will traffic die? Early 2024 data did show click-through rates dropping for certain query types.
But interestingly, Google hasn't pushed AI Overviews to everyone for every query. It decides whether to show them based on query type:
- Pure informational queries ("what is photosynthesis") → AI Overviews almost always appear
- Transactional queries ("buy the best noise-canceling headphones") → traditional links and ads still dominate
- Local searches ("Italian restaurants near me") → maps and business listings take priority
This shows Google is still feeling out the boundaries. It knows users won't stay inside a single answer forever — eventually, people still need to buy things, find places, make decisions. AI Overviews currently functions more like a "quick preview" feature than the ultimate form of search.
In 2025, Google launched AI Mode — an experimental search tab that allows continuous conversational queries. This resembles ChatGPT's search capability, emphasizing follow-up questions and exploration rather than one-shot answers.
So back to the original question: what is Google's search AI called?
The most accurate answer is AI Overviews, powered by the Gemini model. But this name might change — Google's product naming history is essentially a saga of rebrands. If it eventually replaces traditional search entirely, maybe it won't be called "Overviews" anymore — it'll just be "Search."
After all, when something becomes the default, it doesn't need a name to distinguish itself. Just like today, nobody asks "what is Google's traditional search called" — it's just Google Search.
AI Overviews is heading in that direction: from experimental feature to default experience, from having a name to having no name, from "generative experience" to "this is search."
The only question is: do users actually want this?