Google updates AI Overviews with Further Exploration links, subscription labels as 58% publisher click decline triggers antitrust suits
Airfind news item
By Alina Maria Stan
Published on May 6, 2026.
Google has announced five updates to AI Overviews and AI Mode, designed to increase traffic to publishers. The changes include a new Further Exploration links section, subscription labels, and inline link context. These updates come amid a 58% click-through rate decline in AI overviews, which has led to antitrust lawsuits from Penske Media and EU investigations into whether Google is cannibalising web content its business relies on. A third of publishers surveyed said they would block AI Overview's once the tools became available. The European Commission has told Google what it must do to share search data with rivals under the Digital Markets Act, and is also investigating whether AI Mode violates competition rules by using publisher content inappropriately. In the US, the Department of Justice has won its case against Google Search and ordered a federal judge to vacate exclusive contracts relating to Google Search.
Read Original Article