Google is making your search experience more conversational
28 Jan 2026

Google is enhancing its search experience by integrating a conversational element into the process.

The tech giant has announced that users can now ask the follow-up questions directly from AI Overviews, the AI-generated summaries at the top of search results.

This new feature will allow users to engage in a back-and-forth conversation with Google's AI Mode, designed for complex queries.

Gemini 3 becomes default model for AI Overviews
Model upgrade

Along with the new feature, Google has also announced that it will be using Gemini 3 as the default model for AI Overviews worldwide.

The company said in a blog post that this update will provide users with "a best-in-class AI response right on the search results page."

This move is part of Google's larger strategy to make Search more interactive and less static.

Google's vision for a conversational AI experience
User preference

Robby Stein, VP of Product at Google Search, explained the company's vision in a blog post.

He said people use Search for a wide range of questions, from simple ones like sports scores or weather to complex tasks requiring deep exploration.

"You should be able to seamlessly tap into a powerful conversational AI experience," he added.

Tests show users prefer conversational flow
Test results

Google's tests have shown that users prefer an experience which flows naturally into a conversation.

The company also found that asking follow-up questions while keeping the context from AI Overviews makes Search more useful.

These findings have guided the development of the new feature, which is designed to provide a seamless transition from quick summaries to in-depth conversations as needed.