AI Overviews gets upgraded to Gemini 3 with a dash of AI Mode

Background

Google’s AI Overviews have become a familiar part of the search experience, providing an AI‑generated answer box at the top of results. Over the past year, the feature has expanded to appear on almost every query, though it originally relied heavily on the Gemini 2.5 family of models. Users have noted that while the service can be helpful, it sometimes delivers inaccurate or incomplete information.

The Upgrade to Gemini 3

Google announced that AI Overviews are being upgraded to the newest Gemini 3 models. Gemini 3 represents an improvement across every metric compared with its predecessor, offering a more conversational tone and better reasoning capabilities. The upgrade does not lock the feature to a single version of Gemini 3; instead, the system dynamically selects the model that best fits the query.

Model Selection Strategy

For straightforward searches that have abundant, well‑established sources, AI Overviews may employ Gemini 3 Flash, a streamlined variant that delivers quick answers without expending many reasoning tokens. When a user poses a complex or “long‑tail” question—one that requires deeper analysis or synthesis—Google’s system can shift to a more robust version such as Gemini 3 Pro, which is also available to paying subscribers. This tiered approach ensures that the AI delivers the right balance of speed and depth for each situation.

Implications for Users

The transition to Gemini 3 is expected to raise the overall reliability of AI Overviews. By automatically matching the query to the appropriate model, Google aims to reduce the frequency of errors and provide answers that feel more natural and accurate. The upgrade also continues the trend of expanding AI‑generated content throughout the search ecosystem, making it a near‑constant presence for most users.

Looking Ahead

While Google has not disclosed the exact lineup of Gemini 3 variants that will appear in search, the company emphasizes that the AI Overviews feature will “choose the right model for the job.” This suggests a continued focus on adaptive AI, where the system tailors its computational resources to the complexity of the question. As the technology evolves, users can anticipate a search experience that blends traditional results with increasingly sophisticated AI assistance.