---
title: "Google confirms AI Overviews now auto-expand on some queries"
url: https://seomadman.com/news/ai-overviews-dynamic-expansion
section: news
published: 2026-08-29T00:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-08-29T00:00:00.000Z
author: Adam Hafez
topics: ["AI search"]
---

# Google confirms AI Overviews now auto-expand on some queries

## The short answer

Google confirmed on 28 August 2026 that AI Overviews can automatically expand into a full, detailed answer for some queries, resembling AI Mode, rather than staying compact behind a Show more control. Expansion cancels if a person has already started scrolling toward results below. Google has not said which query categories qualify or how often it happens.

## Key takeaways

- Google confirmed on 28 August 2026 that AI Overviews can dynamically expand into a full, detailed answer on some queries.
- The expanded form drops the traditional Show more control and resembles the presentation of AI Mode.
- A Google spokesperson said the systems decide expansion per topic where it determines the fuller answer is most useful.
- The automatic expansion cancels if a person has already started scrolling toward the results below the overview.
- Google has not disclosed which query categories trigger expansion, how often it happens, or which ranking signals decide it.

Google confirmed on 28 August 2026 that AI Overviews can now automatically expand into a full,
detailed answer on some queries, rather than staying in the compact form behind a Show more
control. A Google spokesperson told Search Engine Land: "For some queries, AI Overviews may
dynamically expand for topics where our systems determine it's most useful for people." The
expanded layout drops the Show more control entirely and resembles the presentation of AI Mode
inside standard Search results.

## What does the expanded AI Overview look like?

Instead of a short summary capped by a Show more link, qualifying queries now return the complete
detailed answer immediately, pushing the standard organic results further down the page. Google
said the change is meant to help people who want depth without an extra click: "Our research has
shown that with this dynamic experience, users find Search more helpful and engage deeper in
follow-up exploration."

## When does the expansion cancel?

Google said the automatic expansion can be reversed mid-scroll. If a person has already started
scrolling down toward the results below the overview, the system treats that as a signal the
person wants standard results and cancels the expansion rather than forcing the longer answer on
them. That framing suggests Google is weighing answer completeness against a user's evident intent
to reach the rest of the page, on a per-session basis rather than a fixed per-query rule.

## What has Google not said?

Google has not disclosed which query categories get the expanded treatment, how frequently it
happens, or what ranking signals decide it. Search Engine Land reported the confirmation on 28
August 2026; 9to5Google independently observed the larger AI Overviews layout in its own coverage
days later, but neither the trigger logic nor a rollout percentage has been published.

## Why we care

A dynamically expanding AI Overview pushes organic results further down the page on an unknown
subset of queries, without any stated way to detect which queries are affected before they change
under you. Until Google publishes more, the only defensible position is what is confirmed: the
Show more control can disappear, the expansion can cancel on scroll, and the selection logic is
undisclosed.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does the Show more button still appear in AI Overviews?

Not when a query qualifies for the dynamic expansion. Google removes the Show more control entirely and renders the full answer up front, so there is no click gate between the compact summary and the detailed one.

### Can the automatic expansion be stopped once it starts?

Yes. Google said the expansion cancels if a person has already begun scrolling toward the standard results below the overview, so it does not override someone who is visibly trying to reach organic listings.

### Which searches trigger the bigger AI Overview?

Google has not said. It described the decision as systems determining a topic is one where the fuller answer is most useful, without naming query categories, a rollout percentage, or the ranking signals involved.

## Sources

1. [Google is dynamically expanding AI Overviews for some queries](https://searchengineland.com/google-is-dynamically-expanding-ai-overviews-for-some-queries-486200) - Search Engine Land (primary)
2. [Google Search AI Overviews are getting bigger](https://9to5google.com/2026/08/31/google-search-ai-overviews-bigger/) - 9to5Google