Optimixed Search News

Early testing shows Gemini 3.8 Flash in Google AI Mode less likely to cite and link to sources

By Eric Mandell
62
NewsSpeculation

TLDR

Early users report that Google's new Gemini 3.8 Flash model in AI Mode cites and links to sources less frequently than previous versions.

Optimixed Overview

Optimixed's original report on this story.

SERoundtable notes that initial feedback from users testing Gemini 3.8 Flash—Google's latest model available to AI Mode subscribers—indicates the model is less inclined to cite or link to source material compared to earlier iterations. This behavior change could reduce visibility and traffic to publisher websites that traditionally benefited from AI-generated result citations.

Topics:AI & Machine Learning in SEOSEO News & Algorithm Updates
Was this useful?
Share

Related articles

55
News

Meta Delays AI Crawling Terms to November 20

Meta extended the deadline for publishers to opt out of AI model training from an earlier date to November 20.

AI & Machine Learning in SEOSEO News & Algorithm UpdatesContent & Strategy
45
News

Marie Haynes Uses AI to Scale SEO Audits from 600 Files

SEO consultant Marie Haynes is using Google's Gemini 4 Argon model with 600 markdown files to automate and scale SEO audits on a subscription model instead of high-ticket bundles.

AI & Machine Learning in SEOContent & StrategyTools & Platforms
35
News

Google's Gemini 4 Argon strains compute capacity in early launch

Google's Gemini 4 Argon reportedly consumed 25 trillion tokens in its first 72 hours, straining compute infrastructure as demand runs 3x higher than Gemini 3.

AI & Machine Learning in SEOSEO News & Algorithm UpdatesTools & Platforms
62
News

Google Tests AI Summaries in AI Overview Citation Cards

Google is testing AI-generated summary snippets displayed directly within the citation cards that accompany AI Overviews in search results.

AI & Machine Learning in SEOSEO News & Algorithm Updates