Google launches AI features for Discover and Search sports updates

Google announced two new artificial intelligence-powered features on October 13, 2025, aimed at improving how users connect with web content through Search and Discover. The announcement introduces an upgraded AI-powered feature in Discover alongside a sports-focused update for Search, representing the company's continued expansion of AI capabilities within its core products.

The first feature enhances Discover with AI-powered brief previews that users can expand to access more information. According to the announcement, "It'll show brief previews that you can expand to see more information, plus links to continue exploring content on the web." Testing data indicates this implementation facilitates easier engagement with stories from diverse publishers and creators. The upgraded Discover feature became available in the United States, South Korea, and India on October 13, 2025.

Discover functions as a personalized content feed appearing on mobile devices and within the Google app. The platform has become the dominant traffic source for news and media websites, with research from August 2025 showing two-thirds of Google referrals to news websites now originate from Discover rather than traditional search. This shift represents a fundamental change in content consumption patterns, moving from active search queries toward passive algorithmic curation.

The second announcement introduces a sports-focused feature for Search users looking up players or teams on mobile devices. According to the release, "Soon, when you look up players or teams on your phone, a 'What's new' button will reveal a feed of trending updates and articles to help you catch up on the latest action." The feature will begin rolling out in the United States in the coming weeks following the October 13 announcement.

The sports feature addresses a specific user need for current information about athletic events, teams, and individual athletes. Sports information changes rapidly, with game results, player statistics, and team news updating continuously throughout seasons. The "What's new" button provides a dedicated access point for this time-sensitive content, consolidating trending updates and articles into a single feed.

Both features emphasize connection to web content rather than replacing it. The Discover previews include links for continued exploration, while the sports feed surfaces articles from various sources. This approach maintains Google's stated commitment to driving traffic to publishers and content creators, a point of ongoing discussion within the digital publishing community.

The implementation of preview expansions in Discover builds upon existing content presentation patterns within the platform. Users encounter content recommendations based on browsing history, search patterns, and stated interests. The expanded previews provide additional context before users decide whether to visit source websites, potentially affecting click-through behavior.

For marketing professionals and publishers, these features carry implications for content discovery and traffic patterns. The shift toward Discover as a primary traffic source has created what researchers describe as asymmetric dependency relationships between Google and content creators. Publishers cannot directly influence Discover algorithmic curation through traditional optimization techniques, unlike search engine optimization practices for conventional search results.

The sports feature introduction aligns with broader patterns in specialized content delivery. Sports information represents a high-engagement category characterized by frequent user queries and time-sensitive content consumption. Creating a dedicated access point for sports updates acknowledges these usage patterns while potentially altering how sports-related content appears in standard search results.

Both features operate within Google's existing infrastructure. Discover already served as a content delivery mechanism; the October 13 enhancement modifies how that content presents to users. Similarly, Search already returned sports-related results; the "What's new" button creates a structured feed for this content category.

The announcement specified geographic availability for the Discover feature: United States, South Korea, and India. This represents selective deployment rather than global rollout, consistent with Google's approach to feature launches that undergo testing in specific markets before broader expansion. The sports feature announcement indicated United States availability only, with rollout beginning in the coming weeks after October 13.

Testing data referenced in the announcement suggested positive outcomes for the Discover preview feature. According to the release, "Our testing shows this makes it easier to catch up on stories from a wide range of publishers and creators." However, the announcement did not provide specific metrics, sample sizes, or testing duration details that would enable independent evaluation of these claims.

The emphasis on multiple publishers and creators within Discover's expanded preview system addresses ongoing concerns about content diversity in algorithmic feeds. Research published in August 2025 documented how AI features in search can reduce click-through rates to original sources, with studies showing decreases ranging from 34.5% for some query types to 54.6% for others. Some specialized content creators reported traffic reductions as high as 90% when AI systems reproduced their content.

The October 13 announcement arrives amid substantial discussion about AI's role in search and content discovery. Google has systematically expanded AI capabilities across its search products throughout 2025, introducing features including video input analysis, enhanced Chrome integration, and Canvas functionality for study planning. These developments represent significant changes to search interaction models, moving from simple query-and-response toward conversational interfaces with multimodal inputs.

For publishers monitoring traffic sources, Discover's increasing prominence creates strategic considerations. Unlike search engine optimization, where publishers can implement specific technical and content improvements to influence rankings, Discover operates through opaque algorithmic systems. Content appears in user feeds based on factors including relevance to stated interests, engagement patterns, and content freshness, but publishers cannot directly target Discover placement.

The sports feature's "What's new" button represents a specific solution to a defined user need. Sports fans seeking current information about teams and players frequently search for this content. Creating a dedicated feed consolidates these updates, potentially reducing the need for multiple searches while providing publishers with a structured placement for time-sensitive sports content.

Both features maintain Google's emphasis on driving users to web sources. The Discover previews explicitly include links for continued exploration, while the sports feed surfaces articles rather than providing complete information within the search interface itself. This contrasts with AI Overviews, which synthesize information from multiple sources and present it directly within search results, sometimes reducing the need for users to visit source websites.

The announcement did not specify technical implementation details for either feature. The Discover enhancement operates within the existing Discover infrastructure, suggesting modifications to content presentation rather than fundamental architectural changes. The sports feature's implementation likely involves additional signals for identifying sports-related queries and determining when to surface the "What's new" button.

Mobile-first deployment for both features aligns with user behavior patterns. According to the announcement, the Discover feature appears within the mobile experience, while the sports update specifically targets phone users. This reflects the reality that mobile devices serve as primary access points for many users seeking quick content updates and sports information.

The October 13 rollout schedule indicated immediate availability for the Discover feature in the three specified markets, while the sports feature carries a less specific timeline of "the coming weeks" within the United States. This staggered approach allows Google to monitor feature performance and user response before determining whether and when to expand availability.

Industry observers continue monitoring how AI-powered features affect content discovery and traffic distribution. Research from mid-2025 indicated that 57% of marketers had already modified SEO or content strategies in response to AI Overviews launching. The introduction of additional AI-powered features in Discover and Search adds another dimension to these strategic considerations.

The announcement categorization under "Search AI" indicates Google's positioning of these features within its artificial intelligence portfolio. Both leverage machine learning systems to enhance content discovery, whether through improved preview generation in Discover or trend identification for sports updates in Search.

For news organizations and content publishers, the Discover enhancement presents both opportunities and challenges. Expanded previews may increase user engagement with content from diverse sources, as testing suggested. However, previews that provide substantial information might also satisfy user interest without requiring click-through to source websites, potentially affecting traffic metrics.

Sports publishers face similar considerations with the "What's new" feed. Consolidating trending sports content into a dedicated feed increases visibility for relevant articles. At the same time, centralized presentation within Google's interface changes how users encounter this content compared to traditional search results lists.

The three-country rollout for Discover's enhanced features—United States, South Korea, and India—represents substantial geographic diversity. These markets differ significantly in terms of internet penetration, mobile device usage patterns, and content consumption behaviors. Launching across this varied landscape provides Google with data about feature performance under different conditions.

Both features maintain continuity with Google's stated philosophy about supporting the web ecosystem. The inclusion of source links and article references aligns with public statements about AI features serving as "jumping off points to explore more" rather than replacing original content. Whether these features achieve that balance in practice remains subject to ongoing monitoring and analysis by publishers and researchers.

The October 13 announcement represents two specific implementations within Google's broader AI integration strategy. Throughout 2025, the company has introduced numerous AI-powered capabilities across Search, including conversational interfaces, visual search exploration, and multimodal query processing. Each feature addresses specific use cases while contributing to transformed search experiences.

The announcement's reference to trending topics for Discover and trending updates for sports Search suggests emphasis on temporal relevance. Both features surface current content rather than archival information, aligning with user expectations for these product experiences. Discover functions as a news and content feed where freshness matters; sports queries frequently seek the latest results and developments.

Testing validation preceded the Discover feature launch, with Google referencing positive results before deployment. This approach follows standard product development practices where features undergo evaluation before general release. The announcement did not detail testing methodologies, sample populations, or specific metrics, limiting independent assessment of the testing outcomes.

The sports feature's gradual rollout starting in the coming weeks differs from Discover's immediate availability in specified markets. This suggests different confidence levels or technical readiness between the two features. Gradual deployment enables monitoring and adjustment before broader availability.

Both features operate within existing Google products rather than introducing new standalone applications or services. Users access enhanced Discover through current Discover interfaces, while the sports feature appears within Search on mobile devices. This integration approach maintains consistency with Google's platform strategy.

The announcement's publication date of October 13, 2025, positions these features within the final quarter of the year. Launch timing may consider seasonal factors including sports schedules and holiday-period traffic patterns, though the announcement did not reference these considerations explicitly.

Timeline

• August 7, 2025: Research reveals Discover accounts for two-thirds of Google traffic to news websites
• July 30, 2025: Google expands AI search with canvas and video features
• July 29, 2025: Google introduces AI Mode search feature to UK users
• September 30, 2025: Google's AI Mode enables visual search exploration in the United States
• March 26, 2025: Google expands AI Overviews to nine European markets
• March 5, 2025: Google expands AI Overviews and introduces experimental AI Mode
• August 30, 2025: Google search highlights quality content amid AI-driven changes
• October 13, 2025: Google announces AI-powered Discover previews and sports "What's new" button

Summary

Who: Google announced new features affecting users in the United States, South Korea, and India for Discover, while U.S. users will receive the sports feature.

What: Two AI-powered features launched: expanded previews in Discover showing brief summaries with links to web content, and a "What's new" button in Search providing trending sports updates and articles.

When: October 13, 2025, for the Discover feature in three countries; the sports feature rolls out in the coming weeks in the United States.

Where: Discover features available in United States, South Korea, and India; sports features rolling out in United States on mobile devices.

Why: Google aims to improve content discovery and connection to web sources, addressing user needs for trending topic updates and sports information while maintaining traffic to publishers and creators.