Google's AI Overviews are generating images on the fly again, but only for some users
The in-Search image generation feature was announced in July and paused in August. Now it is showing up again in some browsers, though not in all of them.
Google appears to be bringing back, for some users, on-the-fly image generation inside AI Overviews in Search. The feature was announced in July this year, and the test was paused the following month after some controversy.
The return was spotted by Derek Hobson in a LinkedIn post and reported by Search Engine Roundtable on November 13. Barry Schwartz, the site's executive editor, says he was able to reproduce the behavior in some browsers, but not all. In others, the AI Overview replied that it cannot generate images directly.
What Google said in July and August
When it announced the feature in July, Google said: "To help bring these unique ideas to life, we're bringing image generation directly into AI Overviews in Search."
When the test was paused in August, Google's Robby Stein wrote: "This was a small experiment that we're no longer running. For the record, this is not the Nano Banana feature we announced in July, which only triggers when users explicitly ask to generate an image."
That statement draws a line between the paused experiment and the Nano Banana feature, which, according to Stein, only kicks in when a user explicitly asks for an image.
A link to the Gemini 4 Hydrogen update
Schwartz suggests the return may be tied to the Gemini 4 Hydrogen update in Google Search, and says he thinks that is likely. This is the author's own speculation.
In the same piece, he shares his personal take on the feature: "I'm not sure I like Google Search making up AI images for me on the fly."
What it means for brand teams
For now, the behavior shows up only for some users and varies by browser, which makes it hard to predict when an AI Overview will come with an AI-generated image. If you track how your brand shows up in Search answers, it is worth checking the queries that matter to you in more than one browser, since the result can change from one to the next.
Key questions
Is Google generating images in AI Overviews again?
According to a November 13 report, the feature has reappeared for some users, in some browsers. In others, the AI Overview says it cannot generate images directly.
Why was the test paused in August?
The test was paused after some controversy. Google's Robby Stein described it as a small experiment that was no longer running.
How is this experiment different from Nano Banana?
According to Stein, the Nano Banana feature announced in July only triggers when a user explicitly asks to generate an image.
Source: Search Engine Roundtable.