On some searches Google now loads the whole AI answer automatically, with no "Show more" to click, so your organic listing starts further down the page.
The full AI answer now loads on its own
On 28 August 2026 Google confirmed that AI Overviews now expand to their full length by default on some searches. Where this happens, the "Show more" button disappears and the complete answer loads automatically, much like Google's AI Mode, topped with an "Ask anything" prompt box. A Google spokesperson described the behaviour to Search Engine Land, which is owned by Semrush, and Search Engine Roundtable reported the same statement the same day.
Google's wording was deliberately narrow. Its spokesperson said only that "for some queries, AI Overviews may dynamically expand for topics where our systems determine it's most useful for people." Google would not say which queries, how often it happens, or what signals trigger the expansion. There is one courtesy built in: if a reader has already started scrolling toward the results below the answer, Google cancels the auto-expansion so the page does not jump under them.
Google framed this as a live, ongoing behaviour across an unknown slice of queries. It gave no ramp schedule and no completion date, so this is not a dated one-off launch you can plan around.
What a taller AI answer means for being found
The practical effect is straightforward. On an affected query, the AI answer fills more of the screen the moment the page loads, and your organic listing starts lower, often below the fold. Your ranking position has not changed. What has changed is how much scrolling now sits between a searcher and your entry, which can thin out clicks on the queries where this triggers.
The calm response is not to chase a figure Google declined to give. Two things simply matter more than they did. First, being present inside the AI answer itself, because that block is now the first and largest thing many searchers see, so how often you are cited rather than merely ranked carries more weight. Earning that citation is still an emerging and much-debated discipline, so treat any confident playbook with caution. Second, watching your own search analytics: if organic clicks soften on informational queries while your impressions hold, that is your evidence this is reaching you.
If AI answers are eating into your visibility on the searches that actually bring enquiries, that is the moment to treat AI-search visibility as its own line of work rather than a footnote to classic rankings.
Frequently asked questions
Does this change my Google rankings?
No. Google confirmed nothing about how pages are ranked. The AI answer simply takes up more of the screen by default on some queries, so your organic listing can start further down the page. Your position in the organic results is unchanged; its visibility on affected queries may be lower.
Which of my searches does this affect?
Google would not say. It confirmed only that AI Overviews "may dynamically expand" on some queries where its systems judge it most useful, and gave no share of queries, no categories, and no rollout dates. Treat it as an ongoing behaviour on an unknown slice of searches rather than a one-off launch.
Do I need to do anything right now?
Nothing urgent. The measured response is to keep earning a place inside the AI answer itself and to watch your own search analytics on informational queries. If your organic clicks slip while impressions hold steady, that is the signal that this is affecting you.
Is this officially confirmed?
It is confirmed by a Google spokesperson, quoted by Search Engine Land (owned by Semrush) and corroborated by Search Engine Roundtable, which carried the same statement and the same detail about expansion being cancelled once a reader starts scrolling. Google published no blog post or status-dashboard entry, so this is confirmed by statement rather than by a formal announcement.
