Google adds follow-up questions to AI Overviews and sets Gemini 3 as default

Google is tightening the loop between discovery and decision-making in Search: users can now ask follow-up questions directly from AI Overviews, pushing them into a continuous conversation instead of a one-and-done summary.

Follow-up questions connect AI Overviews to AI Mode

The update turns AI Overviews—Google’s summary box at the top of many results—into an on-ramp for AI Mode, Google’s conversational interface for complex queries. Rather than re-typing context, users can click into a chat-like flow and keep the thread intact.

For B2B marketers and e-commerce operators, the practical impact is where attention may consolidate. If users can refine requirements (pricing, compatibility, “best for my use case”) without leaving the results page, fewer clicks may reach comparison pages—while the clicks that do happen could be more qualified. It also raises the bar for pages that win citations: the “next question” is increasingly handled inside the conversation, not through another search.

Google frames this as a usability win: internal testing suggests people prefer a natural back-and-forth, and that preserving context from Overviews makes Search feel more helpful. The interface is intended to behave like a single journey: quick snapshot first, deeper exploration only when needed.

Gemini 3 becomes the default model for Overviews globally

Google is also making Gemini 3 the default model powering AI Overviews worldwide. In practical terms, that means the quality and style of the summary layer will change across markets at once—important for teams tracking branded queries, competitive positioning, and top-of-funnel visibility.

This shift lands alongside Google’s broader personalization push. The company recently expanded “Personal Intelligence” in AI Mode, allowing it to pull from a user’s Gmail and Google Photos for tailored answers, according to TechCrunch: AI Mode can now tap into your Gmail and Photos and the feature was first introduced in the Gemini app earlier this month (details).

The net effect: Search is behaving less like a directory of links and more like a guided interface where context, personalization, and next-step questions are handled inside Google’s own layer.