January was a Google-focused month as the search engine rolled out numerous updates and improvements to its platforms and AI features, including upgrades for AI Overviews. Catch up with the latest from Google — and other interesting AI-related stories from January — below.
Google Updates AI Overviews, Gemini & AI Mode While Introducing ‘Personal Intelligence’
Google dropped a lot of updates and AI-feature improvements in January, and if you haven’t kept up with them, it might be a bit overwhelming. Here’s a concise, straight-to-the-facts rundown of what’s changed to get you up to speed quickly:
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AI Overview & AI Mode Updates
Google announced that Gemini 3, its latest and greatest model, is now the default engine behind AI Overviews (AIOs) and AI Mode, aiming to deliver smarter, more helpful summaries right within Search.
This upgrade also comes with a few UI changes to AIOs for mobile. When a SERP generates an AIO, users on mobile devices can now ask follow-up questions directly within that interface and enter into a conversational back-and-forth with AI Mode.
Before this update (and still on the desktop experience), users had to manually click on the “Dive deeper with AI Mode” button at the bottom of an AIO, which redirects them to the dedicated AI Mode tab where they could ask more questions. Now, users can more quickly ask their follow-ups without leaving the initially generated AI Overview. Google is positioning this change as a more fluid and natural way to go from a quick snapshot about a query directly into deeper research.
I have to imagine that the feature will eventually make its way to desktop, but Google made no mention of that in their announcement post.
Gemini 3 Improvements Enable More Personalized Search Assistance
Google has continued its work to create more personalized user experiences, and these Gemini improvements are a big step in that direction. ‘Personal Intelligence’ is a new AI personalization feature in Google’s Gemini AI that aims to make the assistant more useful by tailoring responses to users’ personal contexts and preferences.
Users can now choose which parts of their personal context they want to “connect” to Gemini, including their chat history with the assistant. Users can also instruct Gemini directly to remember their personal preferences and interests, so the model can heed those parameters in future searches. Google also makes sure to note that privacy and control remain in users’ control by deciding what gets shared with Gemini, options for managing and deleting preferences and chat history and even switching off personalized help altogether.
New European Regulations for Google’s AI Overviews?
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a business, brand or administration square up against Google. But this latest proposal from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) takes aim at AI Overviews in a bid to side with publishers and content creators.
The CMA argues that AI Overviews have reduced user traffic to original news articles because many people read the summary but don’t click through. This proposal is part of a broader effort to loosen Google’s grip on the UK search market.
Key proposals include:
- Opt-out options for publishers: The CMA wants Google to let news sites and content creators choose not to have their content used in AI Overviews. Currently, publishers can’t stop their content from being used in AIOs without also removing it from traditional search listings.
- More transparency and citations: Regulators want Google to be clearer about how content is used in AI results and to require proper attribution.
- Fair search rankings: The CMA recommends that Google ensure its ranking systems (including AI results) treat sites fairly and don’t prefer partners with which they have business relationships.
A consultation on these proposals runs through Feb. 25, 2026, before a final decision.
Google has shown interest in engaging with the CMA, saying they’re exploring new tools to give websites more control over how their content appears in AI features.
New Phishing Scam Targets Marketers With Fake OpenAI Offer
In early January, people began to receive fishy emails from scammers using OpenAI’s name and logo for a fraudulent advertising product called “OpenAI Advertising GPT.” Unsolicited emails, shoddy links, enticing sign-up bonuses — pretty much all your typical phishing tactics were at play here, but many users were still uncertain of its validity.
Really, the current environment of fast AI adoption + unclear norms + FOMO has created an ideal attack landscape for bad actors. This incident — which outlets and forums have widely labeled as a scam at this point — is a good reminder to brush up on phishing and scam awareness to avoid compromising personal or business-critical data.
These quick daily habits can help keep you protected from bad actors:
- Assume “AI beta/early access” messaging and emails are scams unless verified.
- Never click links from unsolicited outreach, even if they appear to be from credible organizations.
- Hover-check URLs (domain must match exactly; watch for subtle misspellings).
- Never click on anything unless you’re 100% certain it’s legitimate.
Is Gemini Your Jam?
There was quite a lot to keep up with in January, especially regarding Google and its AI products. Between all the new features, capabilities and quality of life changes across Gemini, Search and AI Mode, there’s lots to explore if Gemini is your jam.
Google stayed busy last month aside from all its updates as well, as it faced pushback from the CMA in the UK about AI Overviews taking traffic from publishers. And, an OpenAI-disguised phishing scam made the rounds, presenting an opportunity for marketers to brush up on their scam detection skills. That’s January!
