"Over the past week or so, Google has been testing a new format for link cards in the AI Overviews within Google Search. When you place your mouse cursor over a link clip icon, a new overlay will show you the page/site cards that line of text is being sourced from. Here is a screenshot that I was able to trigger on Friday late morning in New York on Apple Safari desktop:"
"Then both Gagan Ghotra and Sachin Patel spotted it a couple of days later: i also see this today pic.twitter.com/SkSOOKHZv6- Sachin Patel (@SachuPatel53124) February 5, 2026 This might be related to the contextual links interface but I am really not sure. Google has been experimenting with ways to make links more clickable from AI Overviews, the big question is, do any of these work? This interface does not seem to be fully live, but does seem to be being tested heavily. Forum discussion at X."
Google is testing a hover-activated overlay that reveals page and site cards for link clips within AI Overviews in Search. Hovering the link clip icon displays the specific pages that a line of text is sourced from, providing a visual citation. A screenshot captured the overlay on Apple Safari desktop in New York on a Friday morning. Multiple notices on X in early February 2026 show additional sightings. The behavior may relate to the contextual links interface. The experiment aims to increase link click-through from AI Overviews, but the interface appears not fully live and is still being heavily tested.
Read at Search Engine Roundtable
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