Google Search Console AI Reports Global Rollout

Q: What does the SGenAI robots.txt token do?

The SGenAI directive in robots.txt tells Google not to use a site's content for generative AI training or for grounding AI outputs in Search, while leaving standard crawling and indexing by Googlebot unaffected.

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By NewSunSEO September 25, 2026

Google Search Console is rolling out two new capabilities to site owners worldwide: dedicated performance reports for AI Mode and AI Overviews, and a robots.txt control that lets publishers block specific generative AI crawlers from their content. The expansion gives every site owner a direct view of how their pages appear inside Google’s AI-driven search surfaces and a switch for managing which AI crawlers can read their pages.

The change puts AI search performance data inside the same Search Console dashboard that site owners already use for traditional Google Search metrics, so traffic from AI surfaces can be measured alongside clicks, impressions, and click-through rates from the standard results.

What the new AI performance reports cover

Search Console now separates traffic and visibility for two distinct AI surfaces in Google Search:

AI Overviews: the AI-generated summary boxes that appear above or within standard Google Search results for certain queries.
AI Mode: Google’s conversational, AI-first search experience, available as a separate mode within Search.

Each surface gets its own filter inside the Performance report, so a site owner can see clicks, impressions, position, and click-through rate for pages shown in either AI Overviews or AI Mode, and compare that data against the standard web search totals.

How to filter for AI Mode and AI Overviews in Search Console

The filter lives inside the existing Performance report. To view AI-specific data, open the Search type filter and select the AI surface you want to analyze. Available options include Web, Image, Video, News, Shopping, AI Overviews, and AI Mode. Once selected, the report will return impression, click, and click-through-rate data scoped to that surface.

The combined Web search type is the default view and includes results from all Google surfaces. Switching to AI Overviews or AI Mode narrows the report to only the data that surface generates.

Why AI Mode and AI Overviews are reported separately

AI Overviews and AI Mode behave differently from standard blue-link search. They surface synthesized answers and link out to sources rather than ranking individual pages by position in the traditional sense. Reporting them separately lets site owners measure the traffic, impressions, and visibility their pages earn when Google uses them as citations inside AI-generated answers, instead of pooling that traffic into the general Web search totals where it can be hard to isolate.

The new SGenAI robots.txt control

Alongside the reporting update, Google is introducing a new user-agent token for use in robots.txt: Google-Extended controls, now joined by an SGenAI token, which site owners can use to block Google’s generative AI crawlers. This is a separate signal from the standard indexing rules that govern Googlebot.

Using the SGenAI directive in robots.txt instructs Google not to use a site’s content for generative AI training and for the grounding of AI outputs in Search. Standard crawling and indexing by Googlebot can continue unaffected, so a publisher can keep showing in regular search while opting out of generative use.

Publishers who already use Google-Extended do not need to repeat the same block with SGenAI. Google has confirmed that existing Google-Extended rules are honored and that the new token extends the same opt-out to additional generative surfaces.

How this changes measurement for site owners

Before this rollout, traffic from AI Overviews and AI Mode was either invisible inside Search Console or buried in the combined Web totals. With dedicated filters, publishers can now answer specific questions such as which pages get cited inside AI answers, how much click traffic those citations generate, and whether AI Mode traffic is growing relative to standard search traffic.

The data also gives SEO teams a way to track whether optimization work aimed at AI search surfaces, such as structured data, clear answers, and authoritative sourcing, is actually producing measurable impressions and clicks inside Google’s AI experiences.

For publishers concerned about content use in AI training, the SGenAI directive provides a single switch in robots.txt to opt out of generative grounding while keeping pages eligible to appear in conventional search results.

What is rolling out and where

Both the AI performance reporting and the SGenAI robots.txt control are rolling out globally to all Search Console users. Site owners do not need to opt in or enroll. The new filters appear inside Performance automatically, and the SGenAI token is available for use in robots.txt files immediately.

FAQ

What are the new AI performance reports in Google Search Console?

They are dedicated filters inside the Search Console Performance report that show clicks, impressions, position, and click-through-rate data for pages appearing in Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode, separated from standard Web search totals.

How do I see AI Mode traffic in Search Console?

Open the Performance report, click the Search type filter, and select AI Mode. The report will then display only the clicks, impressions, and click-through rates generated by that surface.

What does the SGenAI robots.txt token do?

The SGenAI directive in robots.txt tells Google not to use a site’s content for generative AI training or for grounding AI outputs in Search, while leaving standard crawling and indexing by Googlebot unaffected.