Artificial intelligence is profoundly transforming access to information. With the arrival of AI Overviews (AIO), Google no longer just indexes content, it synthesizes it. For brands, this shift means moving from a “click” strategy to an “authority citation” strategy.

What are AI Overviews?

AI Overviews are AI-generated answers powered by Gemini, displayed at the top of search results. They combine multiple sources to deliver an immediate response.

The challenge: these summaries capture attention before users even consider clicking. According to Google Search Central, the system prioritizes information based on expertise, experience, authority and trustworthiness.

A shift confirmed: the rise of zero-click searches

2025 data confirms a radical change in behavior:

AI Overviews: when will the feature be available in France?

Launched in the United States in May 2024, the AI Overviews feature has gradually expanded to many markets and is now accessible in more than 200 countries and territories. Yet France currently remains outside the deployment scope.

Google has not announced any official launch date. The lack of availability is generally attributed to regulatory uncertainties and issues related to the reuse and compensation of press content, particularly sensitive in the French market (Les Echos).

At the same time, several European countries have already seen the feature roll out, including Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium and Switzerland, illustrating a fragmented expansion across the continent.

For marketing and online visibility professionals, this situation creates a paradox: France is lagging behind search interface evolution, but this delay also offers a window to anticipate and adapt content and strategies before adoption potentially reshapes search behaviors overnight.

 

Why have public relations become a strategic lever in the age of AI?

Technical SEO remains an essential foundation, particularly to ensure that content is accessible, understandable and usable by search engines. However, on its own, it is no longer enough to create preference.

In the era of generative engines, AI does more than detect keywords. It also evaluates signals of reliability, consistency and credibility. This is where public relations become critical: they provide external proof points from independent sources, enabling a brand to be perceived as trustworthy and therefore recommendable.

Brand mentions: a signal beyond the backlink

Google’s AI systems, including AI Overviews, can identify and contextualize brand mentions even when no clickable link is included. What matters is no longer just the link structure, but the editorial context and the authority of the source.

In practice, a brand that is consistently cited in recognized media outlets, in a coherent and expert manner, strengthens its authority profile and increases its likelihood of being referenced in AI-generated responses.

This is not an automatic mechanism. It is a cumulative reputational effect built over time.

The shift toward GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)

GEO, or Generative Engine Optimization, refers to the set of practices designed to make content understandable, usable and preferable for generative engines, including AI Overviews.

Within this framework, several levers stand out:

clarity and consistency of messaging
the contribution of useful and verifiable information
expert impact: the use of expert quotes and unique statistical data significantly increases the likelihood of a brand being cited by AI systems (JBH – AI Overviews & Digital PR)

E-E-A-T: a framework reinforced by AI

The E-E-A-T principles (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) remain central to Google’s evaluation systems and take on even greater importance in a generative context.

Media validation plays a key role here. Content produced or relayed by expert sources and published in high-authority media outlets generates signals that are difficult to artificially replicate. A high-quality press mention does not automatically guarantee AI visibility, but it constitutes a strong authority signal, readable both by humans and by AI systems such as Google and its Gemini model powering AI Overviews.

Oxygen’s perspective, your AI Overviews agency

At Oxygen, we believe AI Overviews mark the rising strategic value of public relations.

In an environment where AI is redefining online visibility, only brands able to demonstrate editorial legitimacy will continue to stand out. Our approach is to transform your expertise into algorithmic authority: we no longer just secure media coverage, we make sure AI selects you as a reference source.

Influence is no longer measured solely in clicks, but in informational presence.

To discuss your visibility, credibility and PR strategy in the era of generative engines, contact us.

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