AI is transforming how users interact with search. From Google Search Results to AI Overviews and custom AI responses, people now get summaries, comparisons, and answers without clicking through multiple websites.
Quick Summary – AI in Search
- AI Overviews appear above traditional search results, pulling key information from trusted websites and presenting answers directly
- AI features like AI Mode and follow-up questions help users explore topics in-depth without rewriting queries
- Complex questions are now answered using generative AI, which combines data from multiple sources in a single AI-generated overview
- Website traffic may drop unless your brand is cited. Addlly AI’s GEO AI Agent help ensure your content gets referenced in AI-generated responses
In this new search era, visibility isn’t about ranking #1. It’s about being part of the AI-generated answer. Addlly AI helps you get cited – across Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity and more.
Introduction to AI Search
AI in search is no longer experimental. It’s everywhere. From Google’s previous Search Generative Experience (SGE) to the AI Overviews of today, artificial intelligence is shaping how people search, evaluate, and interact with information online.
Traditional search engines were built around keyword matching. But today’s systems prioritize context, meaning, and relevance fueled by generative AI models. Users aren’t just getting ten blue links anymore. They’re getting summaries, comparisons, and answers that pull from multiple data sources, all delivered before they even scroll.
This shift is massive for marketers, researchers, companies and everyday users. The way we access data, explore ideas, and navigate websites is being redefined by tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and more. Here, we explore how AI search works, what powers it, and how it’s reshaping the web as we know it – and how platforms like Addlly AI are helping brands adapt to these changes.
Read our blog on: How to Rank in AI Search Results
AI Technology and Features: What Powers Modern Search
AI search is powered by large language models and generative AI systems that go beyond keyword matching to understand user intent, context, and complexity. These systems are embedded across multiple platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Bing AI.
Google Search itself is now driven by a custom version of the Gemini model: a generative AI system built to provide context-rich answers and deeper exploration paths. This technology underpins a wide range of AI features across the search experience.
Key capabilities include:
- AI Overviews: Summarized results that provide quick snapshots of key information, often accompanied by links to deeper analysis and content.
- Conversational Interfaces: Platforms now support follow-up questions, allowing users to explore a topic more deeply without starting over.
- Multimodal Search Tools: From voice search to visual input (like uploading an image or screenshot), users can now search in more natural, intuitive ways.
- Search Experiments and Labs: Many platforms offer beta features that explore new ways to interact with AI engines, ranging from personalized feeds to image-based search refinements.For brands, this shift means rethinking how content is created and structured. Addlly AI’s GEO Audit Tool help marketing teams adapt by auditing their content, rewriting it for AI search visibility, and tracking how often their brand is cited in responses across different AI search engines.
Search Results and Interaction: A More Fluid, Adaptive Experience
The way users interact with search results has fundamentally changed. With generative AI and machine learning, search results are no longer static. They adapt in real time to user intent, behavior, and query complexity.
Major shifts include:
- AI Responses Before Clicks: Many users now receive full answers from AI Overviews, especially for complex questions. These AI responses often include details, comparisons, and suggested next steps, thus reducing the need to visit multiple websites.
- Multimodal Input: Users can now speak, type, circle, or photograph their queries. Google Lens and voice search make it easier to engage with search engines using other types of input.
- Follow-Up Questions Built In: With AI Mode, users can explore deeper without starting a new search. The experience is conversational, persistent, and more efficient.
- Impact on Website Traffic: While visibility can increase from featured content in AI Overviews, some websites may see fewer visitors when users find what they need in the overview itself. This makes AI citations and brand mentions more critical than ever.
Addlly AI helps brands navigate this shift by providing actionable insights into which pages are being referenced in AI search, where opportunities are being missed (and to put focus on), and how to structure content for better interaction with AI crawlers.
Complex Queries and the Rise of Generative AI
Complex questions are where AI in search truly shines. When traditional search results would require opening five tabs and stitching answers together manually, AI-generated content does the work for you.
Examples of complex query handling include:
- “What’s the difference between intermittent fasting and time-restricted eating?”
- “How do I file taxes as a part-time freelancer?”
- “Best productivity apps that work with iOS and Google Calendar?”
Instead of listing pages, search engines now offer:
- AI-generated overviews that break down key information
- Multiple perspectives synthesized from trusted sources
- Follow-up prompts that allow users to refine or pivot based on what they’ve learned
This is especially useful in research workflows or when exploring new ideas. It’s not just about finding answers. It’s about navigating knowledge.
Addlly AI’s AI Agents for marketing help brands format their content in a way that AI can cite, ensuring they’re part of the answer, not lost in the list.
Read our blog on: How to Use UGC to Boost AI Visibility
Benefits of AI in Search: What Users Gain
The benefits of AI-powered search are felt across the user journey – from the moment a query is typed (or spoken) to the decision a user makes.
Here’s what’s improving:
- Relevance and Accuracy: AI-powered engines provide more personalized, up-to-date answers by analyzing massive amounts of content and user behavior.
- Efficiency: Users spend less time scanning multiple pages and more time engaging with curated summaries.
- Exploration Tools: Features like Google Lens, AI Mode, and Search Labs allow users to explore ideas visually, conversationally, and contextually.
- Access to Key Information: Whether you’re researching, shopping, or just curious, AI surfaces content that’s tailored to your needs.
- Smarter Search Engines: As more people interact with AI Overviews, the feedback loop improves. This helps refine ai features, reduce irrelevant results, and surface more meaningful content.
For marketers, the biggest benefit is reach without friction. But only if their content is cited. Addlly enables that by helping you create and optimize content that meets AI search standards.
The Expanding Role of AI in How People Search
As AI continues to evolve, its role in search is becoming foundational rather than additive. Users expect contextual results, real-time summarization, and flexible interaction models. All of which AI delivers.
Some ongoing shifts to note:
- AI as the First Touchpoint: Many users now start their journey with AI-generated content rather than browsing traditional results.
- More Natural Interactions: Users interact using voice, gestures, and visuals, reducing the reliance on text-only input.
- From Queries to Guidance: Search is shifting from question-answer to outcome-guidance. AI helps users evaluate, decide, and act—faster.
- More Trust in Summarization: As users become more familiar with overviews, they rely on them to understand key points quickly.
Addlly AI’s platform was built for this reality. Instead of manually guessing what works for AI search, brands using Addlly’s GEO Audit and SEO Audit Tool can measure and scale content that gets cited, not just clicked.
Read more: Profound Alternatives for Enhanced AI Performance
Final Takeaway: AI in Search Demands a New Visibility Strategy
AI in search is changing the way we explore the web. From AI generated overviews to AI search tools, users now experience more efficient, intelligent, and contextual results than ever before.
Whether you’re a marketer tracking website traffic, a researcher answering complex questions, or a casual user exploring ideas, the future of search lies in how well AI can surface relevant answers. And how well your brand appears in those results.
Addlly AI helps brands close the gap. From identifying what’s getting cited to generating content that fits AI engines’ preferences, our GEO Agents make sure your brand is visible where it matters most.
Because in the age of AI search, being referenced in the right overview may matter more than ranking first on the page.
FAQs – AI in Search
What are AI Overviews in Google Search?
AI Overviews are snapshots of relevant content that appear above search results. They include key information, links, and suggestions for follow-up questions based on query intent.
How does AI affect website traffic?
AI-generated overviews reduce clicks to individual sites. Addlly AI helps brands monitor citations, track AI visibility, and adapt content to stay relevant in Google Search.
What types of search queries work best with generative AI?
AI handles complex questions well, like comparisons, product research, and how-to queries, by generating summaries and insights from multiple sources.
Is AI replacing traditional search engines?
No, but it’s changing how search works. AI now enhances traditional search engines by providing more relevant, structured, and AI-generated responses.
How does Addlly AI help brands stay visible in AI search?
Addlly AI’s GEO AI Agent rewrite and optimize your content for AI visibility, helping it get cited in AI Overviews, track performance, and improve placement across Google search and other platforms.
