An Eye Tracking Study: Are AI Overviews Changing Search Behavior?

We conduct a lab eye-tracking study to examine how users interact with search engines that place Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) results above traditionally ranked search results, also known as “ten blue links”, and we use an engagement scale to evaluate their experience. Our aim is to study how users interact with search engine interfaces that incorporate GenAI content, assess users’ willingness to scroll past GenAI content to view the traditional search results, and explore how these interactions differ from existing literature on scanning search engine result pages.

We show that GenAI content is changing how people search, but the “golden triangle” remains valid, where the top-left section of the search page attracts the most attention. Searchers are still engaging with the blue links in patterns consistent with the literature; however, they engage significantly more with GenAI content. Finally, we outline future directions to deepen our understanding of search behavior in the era of GenAI.