Google’s AI enhancements to its search engine continue to expand, with its AI-powered Overviews feature now serving over 1.5 billion users globally each month, spanning more than 100 countries. Launched as a test nearly two years ago, AI Overviews deliver summaries compiled from online sources in direct response to user queries. For instance, typing “What is generative AI?” presents a tailored, AI-generated summary prominently positioned atop traditional Google search results.
Despite some publishers reporting declines in site traffic due to these summaries, Google regards AI Overviews as a powerful potential source of increased engagement and revenue. Last October, the company introduced advertising within AI Overviews, and more recently began testing a new AI Mode. This mode enables users to pose complex questions and conduct more intuitive, conversational follow-up searches, positioning Google directly as a competitor to conversational search tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity.
During its recent first-quarter earnings call for 2025, Google also highlighted significant growth in other AI-driven features across its platforms. The Circle to Search tool, which allows users to select content on their smartphone screens and pose queries about the highlighted information directly within search, is now supported across more than 250 million devices, a notable increase from roughly 200 million late last year. Google noted that usage of Circle to Search increased nearly 40% quarter-over-quarter.
Visual search technology also experienced substantial gains. CEO Sundar Pichai reported that the number of searches conducted through Google Lens, the company’s AI-enhanced visual search tool, had risen by 5 billion instances since October. Additionally, Google Lens-based shopping interactions increased by over 10% during the recent quarter alone.
This momentum in AI-powered search comes as Google navigates significant regulatory challenges. Following a U.S. federal court decision that declared the company held unlawful monopolies in both search and advertising technology, the Department of Justice continues to pressure Google for structural changes, notably advocating for the divestiture of Chrome. A recent ruling that Google illegally monopolized the ad tech market heightens the possibility of a forced break-up, adding regulatory complexity to the company’s ongoing focus on AI innovation.
