Google's missing AI answer links look like a test
Two SEOs see two different things, which usually means Google is trying it out on some people and not others.
The source cards that sat beside Google's AI Overviews (the AI written answer at the top of search results) have been disappearing on desktop. Now it looks like a test rather than a finished change. Barry Schwartz posted that Google "is testing dropping the citations card on the right side of AI Overviews", crediting Brodie Clark, who first spotted it.
The two of them see different things
Schwartz says he could not reproduce it at all. He tried "so many browsers over the past 24 hours or so" and still saw the cards. Clark replied that he is seeing it "consistently across a lot of test queries now".
When two people looking at the same feature get opposite results, that normally means Google is showing the change to some users and not others. Google has not said anything about it either way, so nobody knows yet whether the cards are going for good.
Why the cards matter to you
Those cards were the visible way a small site got named inside an AI answer. Clark's original post said Google previously featured citations for 2 to 3 domains in visible cards next to the result, and that he is now seeing a drastic reduction in how often they appear. He also said AI Overviews now show for 83% of all queries on desktop in the US, according to Semrush data, which is what makes the change sting.
Clark noted the links are not deleted. They sit behind the "show more" button, which is already how it works on mobile. He also said Google sometimes shows a version of the AI Overview that unfolds that button automatically, putting the cards back on screen, but that this version seems rare right now.
What to do
Nothing, for now. If your impressions or clicks dropped in the last few days, this is one possible reason, but you cannot fix a Google test by changing your site. Open Search Console, click Performance, and note the date your impressions started falling so you can tell later whether it lines up with this or with something on your end.
One caution on reading your own numbers. Reports of a change like this are not the same as a ranking drop. Your pages can still be the sources behind the answer while the card that named them is hidden from view. Check whether your clicks fell at the same rate as your impressions before you conclude anything.
I can't replicate this, I tried so many browsers over the past 24 hours or so
Seeing it consistently across a lot of test queries now
a change needs to happen to give publishers more credit for powering Google's AI
Be the person who already knew
One email a day. Under three minutes. You will hear about a Google change before it shows up in your traffic.