Google Search has confirmed it is now pushing searchers into AI Mode from the AI Overview by default, without having to click the "Show more" button. The new AI Overview experience that Google is testing shows a much fuller AI answer, like you'd get in AI Mode, and loads the follow up "Ask anything" box by default.
This pushes the default search results, the ten blue links, way down lower on the page. "For some queries, AI Overviews may dynamically expand for topics where our systems determine it’s most useful for people," a Google spokesperson told us.
I am able to replicate this, but it was first spotted by Chris Long who posted an example of this on X - he wrote, "Holy moly SEOs: Google is now revealing the AI Mode prompt box BY DEFAULT for some queries." "This is how Google continues to push AI Mode as the default search experience," he added.
Here is a GIF I made of this:
To understand the difference between how AI Overviews used to work, Google would load a snippet of the AI Overview, and you'd have to click "Show more" to see the full AI Overview response.
Like this:
But for some queries, it just loads the full AI Overview, with the Ask anything box already opened. Pushing down the organic search results way below the AI Answer:
Here is the post from Chris:
Holy moly SEOs: Google is now revealing the AI Mode prompt box BY DEFAULT for some queries.
— Chris Long (@chris_nectiv) August 27, 2026
This is how Google continues to push AI Mode as the default search experience. pic.twitter.com/Ero2pj3BZf
This is not good for publishers, not good at all. But I think we all expected this to happen.
A Google spokesperson sent us the following statement:
"For some queries, AI Overviews may dynamically expand for topics where our systems determine it’s most useful for people. Our research has shown that with this dynamic experience, users find Search more helpful and engage deeper in follow-up exploration."
I should note that if a user has already begun scrolling to view content below the AI Overview, Google cancels the expansion to prevent the user from losing their reading position.
Forum discussion at X.
Update: Robby Stein from Google also responded about this:
Hey Barry, jumping in here with more context, AI Overviews only dynamically expand for topics where our systems determine it to be most useful. If you’ve already started scrolling, the expansion stops to keep your place.
— Robby Stein (@rmstein) August 28, 2026
We're always testing and tuning these experiences, so…
