Do ChatGPT search results include source citations?

Only 6.8% of U.S. ChatGPT desktop queries included citations as of May 2026, per the same report, even though citation volume in AI answers overall rose more than fivefold over the year.

A teal glyph card with an upward diagonal arrow symbol. — Illustration: AEO Wire

Similarweb study — vendor-published

TechCrunch AI · Jul 27 Jul 27 Google Search Research SEO

AI Overviews now appear in 43% of Google searches, up from 15%

Q: How often do AI Overviews appear in Google search results?

AI Overviews now show up in 43% of Google searches, up from 15% a year earlier, according to a Similarweb analysis.

AI Overviews surfaced in 43% of Google searches, up from 15% a year earlier, according to a Similarweb analysis reported by TechCrunch. The same report found AI Mode visits grew from 126 million in June 2025 to 279 million in May 2026, and citation volume in AI answers rose more than fivefold over the year — though only 6.8% of U.S. ChatGPT desktop queries included citations as of May 2026.

Why it matters: A jump from 15% to 43% coverage in a year means AI Overviews have moved from an edge case to Google's default answer format, raising the stakes for publishers optimizing for citation rather than click-through.

The record: Google AI Overviews Google AI Mode Google

Via TechCrunch AI ↗

Posted to the wire July 27, 2026.

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AI Overviews now appear in 43% of Google searches, up from 15%

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