Editorial illustration for Google's AI search results add hover pop‑up links in Overviews and AI Mode
Google AI Links Now Show Contextual Hover Cards
Google's AI search results add hover pop‑up links in Overviews and AI Mode
Why does the way Google surfaces citations matter now? While the AI‑driven Overviews and AI Mode have been praised for summarizing information on the fly, users have complained that the underlying sources are hard to spot. The new design nudges the interface toward transparency: hovering over a cited fact triggers a pop‑up that reveals the original link.
It’s a subtle shift, but one that could change how people verify what the model presents. Stein notes that the change isn’t just visual; the pop‑ups will also carry “more descriptiv” details about each source, giving context without leaving the search page. For professionals who need to trace data back to its origin, that extra layer could cut down on the extra clicks they used to endure.
The move arrives as Google’s AI search results evolve, and the company seems intent on making the connection between generated content and its provenance clearer than before.
Google's AI search results will make links more obvious Links in AI Overviews and AI Mode will appear in a pop-up upon hovering over cited sources. Links in AI Overviews and AI Mode will appear in a pop-up upon hovering over cited sources. Stein adds that Google will also show these "more descriptive and prominent link icons" in its AI responses on desktop and mobile.
"Our testing shows this new UI is more engaging, making it easier to get to great content across the web," Stein writes. While AI Overviews appear as an AI-generated summary at the top of Search, AI Mode offers a chatbot-style search experience that lets you look for information without having to navigate to the original online sources.
Google is now surfacing source links inside its AI‑driven Overviews and AI Mode, showing a pop‑up list when users hover over citations on desktop. Each entry includes a brief description and an accompanying image, a detail Robby Stein highlighted in Tuesday’s announcement. The move aims to make the provenance of AI‑generated answers more visible, addressing longstanding concerns about opacity.
Stein also hinted that Google will display these links “more descriptiv…,” though the exact nature of that enhancement remains unclear from the briefing. Whether the hover‑triggered UI will improve user trust or simply add another layer of interaction is still open to question. Early feedback may reveal if the added visual context outweighs the extra mouse movement required.
For now, the feature stands as a modest tweak to the search experience, offering clearer pathways to the underlying articles without reshaping the core AI response format.
Further Reading
- Google launches more visible links in AI Overviews and AI Mode - Search Engine Land
- Google Says Links Will Be More Visible In AI Overviews - Search Engine Journal
- Google AI Mode Ask About Feature Now Triggers On Overlay - SERoundtable
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Common Questions Answered
How is Google making source links more visible in AI Overviews?
Google is introducing a new hover interface where users can see pop-up link cards when they place their cursor over a citation in AI Overviews. [seroundtable.com](https://www.seroundtable.com/google-ai-overviews-contextual-overlay-link-cards-40892.html) reports that these overlay link cards will show the specific page or site that a line of text is sourced from, making attribution more transparent and clickable.
What new features is Google adding to improve link transparency in AI Mode?
[webpronews.com](https://www.webpronews.com/google-enhances-ai-mode-with-source-links-for-greater-transparency/) indicates that Google is integrating more source links with explanatory snippets to boost user trust and address publisher concerns. The updates include contextual introductions to embedded links that explain why a particular source might be helpful to visit, encouraging deeper web exploration.
How is Google working to support web publishers with its AI Mode updates?
Google has announced a new commercial partnership program with multiple international publishers including Der Spiegel, El Pais, The Guardian, and The Washington Post to explore how AI can help drive more engaged audiences. [9to5google.com](https://9to5google.com/2025/12/10/google-ai-mode-links-news-updates/) notes that the company is also introducing features like highlighting subscription-based news sources and creating dedicated link carousels to support content creators.