SEO Professionals Observe Gemini 3.8 Flash in AI Mode Cites Fewer Sources Than Previous Models

Multiple SEO professionals reported on September 3, 2026, that Google AI Mode running the newly deployed Gemini 3.8 Flash model returns answers without source citations or links for a range of queries, while the same queries using the previous default model continue to display citations.

Gagan Ghotra posted screenshots of multiple AI Mode searches conducted with Gemini 3.8 Flash for top-of-funnel informational queries. None of the responses included links or source attributions. Glenn Gabe, an SEO consultant and director at iPullRank, replicated the test and published a side-by-side comparison showing that the default AI Mode model returns cited responses for the same queries, while Gemini 3.8 Flash returns uncited answers.

What was observed

Ghotra's tests covered informational queries where prior AI Mode responses typically included source links. With Gemini 3.8 Flash selected, the responses generated substantive answers but omitted all citations. Gabe confirmed the pattern across his own tests, writing on X: "Whoa, Gagan is right. See below between default model and 3.8 Flash. What is going on here?"

The observation applies specifically to AI Mode when the user selects Gemini 3.8 Flash as the active model. The default AI Mode model, which remains Gemini 2.5 Flash or the previously assigned model, continues to produce cited responses for the same query types.

Context

Google deployed Gemini 3.8 Flash to AI Mode on September 2, 2026, making it available to Google One AI Premium subscribers. The model was announced as delivering improvements in reasoning, coding, and multi-step task completion. Google's official blog post describing the release focused on benchmark performance in software engineering, agentic tasks, and cybersecurity, and did not address citation or linking behavior.

AI Mode citations have been a subject of attention from publishers and SEO professionals since the feature launched, because cited sources in AI-generated answers can drive referral traffic and provide visibility for the referenced websites. A reduction in citations from the newest model, if sustained, would change how content discoverability works within Google's AI search interface.

What has not been confirmed

Google has not publicly acknowledged the observation as of September 3, 2026. It is not clear whether the reduced citation behavior is an intended design change in Gemini 3.8 Flash, a temporary bug in the new model's deployment, or a difference in how the model handles certain query categories. Google has not stated whether it plans to adjust the citation behavior.

The observation is based on a limited set of queries tested by two individuals. It has not been independently verified at scale, and it is not known whether the behavior applies uniformly across all query types, languages, or regions. Gemini 3.8 Flash is currently available only to Google One AI Premium subscribers, so the observation does not yet apply to the broader AI Mode user base.

Sources

• Gagan Ghotra, X post, September 3, 2026: https://x.com/gaganghotra_/status/2095298509469810837
• Glenn Gabe, X post, September 3, 2026: https://x.com/glenngabe/status/2095483619284251044
• Google Blog, "Introducing Gemini 3.8 Flash and 3.8 Flash Cyber," September 2, 2026: https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/models-and-research/gemini-models/3-8-flash-and-3-8-flash-cyber