Latest insights and updates from Discovered Labs
Google AI Overviews does not use top-ranking organic results. Our analysis reveals a completely separate retrieval system that extracts individual passages, scores them for relevance & decides whether to cite them.
Our team analyzed network traffic from Google AI Mode in January 2026. The capture included 547 Google flows and over 1,300 total requests during AI Mode sessions. The findings paint a clear picture of how Google is preparing to monetize AI-generated search results.
Google AI Mode is not simply a UI layer on top of traditional search. It is a completely different rendering pipeline. Google AI Mode runs 816 active experiments simultaneously, routes queries through five distinct backend services, and takes 6.5 seconds on average to generate a response.
We breakdown how how AI Overviews work and currently contain zero embedded ads, and traditional SERP ad slots remain intact above and below. But the technical groundwork for future monetization is already visible in the code.
We analyzed 1k+ traffic flows from Gemini's web interface. Understanding these mechanisms helps you optimize your content for AI visibility because Gemini treats structured data, entity relationships, and third-party validation as core signals when deciding what to cite.
Every time you open Google Gemini, five advertising SDKs load in the background and request ads from Google's servers. This matters for your AI visibility strategy because when Gemini ads turn on, the dynamics of AI-driven discovery will shift.
ChatGPT's shopping feature pulls product data from Google Shopping but displays zero advertising today. We captured and analyzed over 1.1 million product tracking parameters from shopping sessions to confirm this. Products appear based on relevance to your query, not paid placement.
Compare the 6 best GEO agencies for B2B SaaS by methodology, pricing, AI tracking tools, and proven results to boost AI citations. Learn which specialized partners deliver measurable pipeline impact with transparent pricing and month to month flexibility versus long term contracts.
Forget SEO. AI sends qualified leads to companies that publish answer blocks, dominate Reddit, and keep facts consistent. 30-day playbook inside.
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is the practice of tailoring your content so that AI-powered search tools can understand it and present it as the definitive answer to user questions.