Google AI Mode ads are text and Shopping ads that Google shows below or inside answers in AI Mode, its conversational search experience. They come from your existing Performance Max, Shopping and Search campaigns with broad match or AI Max, and as of October 2026 Google still describes them as a test in the US.
This guide belongs to the LLM advertising hub and goes deeper than the broader AI ads overview: it covers Google AI Mode only. The short recommendation: you cannot buy, target or switch off AI Mode on its own, so the work is in campaign setup, product feeds, landing pages and measurement on your own conversion data. Each claim below is marked as officially confirmed by Google, stated by a Google spokesperson to the press, or reported by trade media.
What are Google AI Mode ads and where do they appear?
Google AI Mode ads are sponsored text and Shopping ads that appear below an AI Mode response or integrated into it, labeled "Sponsored." AI Mode is Google Search's conversational mode that answers complex, multi-part questions with a generated response and follow-up prompts. The ads are matched to the question and the conversation, not bought as a separate placement.
Google announced the test on May 21, 2025: "Where relevant, ads may appear below and integrated into AI Mode responses." Its example was a person asking how to build a website for a small business on a tight budget, who could see an ad for a website builder. Google's Highlights of 2025 page repeats that "We're testing ads in AI Mode in the US."
Advertisers started spotting the ads in volume in November 2025, when Search Engine Roundtable collected screenshots, including a local search for HVAC repair.
AI Mode is a different surface from AI Overviews. AI Overviews are generated summaries at the top of a normal results page; AI Mode is a separate, chat-like results experience. Google expanded AI Mode to more than 200 countries and territories in October 2025, but availability of AI Mode does not mean ads serve in every one of those markets.
Which Google AI Mode ad formats are live, in test or only reported?
Google AI Mode ad formats fall into three evidence groups as of October 2026: standard text and Shopping ads that Google confirms it is testing in the US, newer Gemini-built formats announced in May 2026 and still in testing, and formats that advertisers have spotted but Google has not documented. Plan budgets around the first group only.
At Google Marketing Live on May 20, 2026, Google introduced two AI Mode formats. Conversational Discovery ads answer a person's specific question inside AI Mode, with creative that Gemini builds for the query. Highlighted Answers place a relevant ad inside AI Mode's list of recommendations. Both carry an "independent AI explainer" next to the advertiser's creative and are "clearly labeled as 'Sponsored.'" Search Engine Land reported that both are tested in the US on mobile and desktop.
The table below is an AI Mode status ledger: each format sorted by the strength of the evidence behind it.
| Format | What it does | Status | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard text ads | Search ad shown below or inside an AI Mode answer | US test since 2025 | Google blog and help page; Google spokesperson to Adweek, October 2026 |
| Shopping ads | Product listing inside or below the answer | US test | Google blog; Google spokesperson to Adweek, October 2026 |
| Conversational Discovery ads | Gemini-built ad that answers the user's question | Testing, US | Google blog, May 20, 2026; Search Engine Land |
| Highlighted Answers | Ad placed inside AI Mode's recommendation list | Testing, US | Google blog, May 20, 2026; Google Ads Liaison |
| Direct Offers | Deals and bundles surfaced in AI Mode responses | Pilot since January 2026, expanding | Google blog, May 20, 2026 |
| Ads for Explore guides and articles | Ad for content related to the query | Spotted only | Search Engine Roundtable, January 2026; no Google confirmation |
Which campaigns are eligible for Google AI Mode ads?
Performance Max, Shopping and Search campaigns that use broad match or AI Max for Search are eligible to show Google AI Mode ads, according to Google's May 2025 announcement. Since September 2026 a small Google test also lets exact and phrase match keywords serve text ads in AI Mode, but only for queries with explicit and direct intent.
AI Max for Search is a set of features you switch on inside a Search campaign: search term matching beyond your keywords, text customization and final URL expansion, per Google's help page. It widens reach, but it is not the only way in. Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin said after Google Marketing Live that broad match campaigns stay eligible without AI Max, as reported by Search Engine Land in June 2026.
Use this eligibility map to see which campaign setup reaches what:
- Performance Max or AI Max for Search: eligible for standard ads and the route to newer formats. Marvin told Search Engine Roundtable in September 2026 that these campaigns offer formats such as Highlighted Answers.
- Shopping: eligible for Shopping ads; feed quality decides what Google can match.
- Search with broad match: eligible for text ads, no AI Max needed.
- Search with only exact and phrase match: a limited test. Marvin: "Exact and phrase match keywords are eligible to serve text ads in AI Mode. Note however that this is limited to cases where there is explicit and direct user intent."
Can you target, exclude or opt out of AI Mode placements?
No. As of October 2026 Google has published no setting that targets AI Mode, excludes it or opts a campaign out, and for the related AI Overviews placement its help center states that advertisers cannot opt out. The controls that work are the ones you already have: keywords, negative keywords, brand exclusions, feed content and the choice of campaign type.
Google's AI Overviews help page is the closest official reference. It says ads serve through the existing auction, that both the query and the generated content are considered, that advertisers "cannot directly target" the placement and cannot opt out. It also lists sensitive verticals that do not show within AI Overviews, among them alcohol, gambling, finance, healthcare and politics.
Policy is moving. A Google spokesperson told Adweek on October 12, 2026: "We're testing standard text and Shopping ads in AI Mode and AI Overviews," expanded to certain pharmaceutical products, in the US only. Search Engine Roundtable added that Google said no policy changed. That sits awkwardly next to the healthcare exclusion on the help page, so treat it as a reported test. Drug advertisers still need certification under Google's Healthcare and medicines policy.
How do you measure AI Mode ads without a separate report?
Google Ads does not report AI Mode as its own segment as of October 2026. AI Mode and AI Overviews ads are counted together with other top-of-page Search ads, so an advertiser cannot see AI Mode clicks, cost or conversions on their own. Measurement has to work indirectly, through query patterns, landing pages and campaign-level incrementality.
The AI Overviews help page says Google Ads "does not currently offer segmented reporting" for those ads, and Search Engine Land reported in June 2026 that AI Mode ads are rolled into top-of-page reporting with no separate breakdown. Three proxies help:
- Search terms. Long, question-style queries hint at conversational traffic, and queries added by AI Max appear with an "AI Max" match type, which shows how much reach comes from beyond your keywords.
- Exposure by cost level. An SE Ranking study of 50,032 US commercial keywords (data from June 30, 2026) found a text ad in 29.45% of AI Mode answers: 24.33% for keywords under $2 CPC and 53.56% at $10 or more. Expensive categories get the most exposure; see Google Ads cost for how CPCs form.
- Incrementality. A Google Ads Conversion Lift study or a campaign experiment shows whether the extra reach adds conversions.
The same study found that advertising did not make an advertiser's domain more likely to be cited in the answer. Organic citations are a separate job, covered in AI search engine optimization.
How do AI Mode ads compare with ads in AI Overviews and ChatGPT ads?
AI Mode ads and ads in AI Overviews both come from existing Google Ads campaigns, with no separate buy, no opt out and no separate report. ChatGPT ads are the opposite: a separate product bought in OpenAI's Ads Manager, matched to the conversation, that you can start or stop like any campaign.
Of the two Google placements, ads inside AI Overviews are further along: they have their own help page, run in English in 12 countries and list excluded verticals. The ChatGPT ads guide covers OpenAI bidding and access.
| Criterion | Google AI Mode ads | Ads in Google AI Overviews | ChatGPT ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| How you buy it | Existing Performance Max, Shopping, broad match or AI Max Search campaigns | Existing Search, Shopping, Performance Max and App campaigns | Separate campaigns in OpenAI's Ads Manager or via OpenAI's sales team |
| Markets | US test | Above and below: all AI Overviews markets; inside: English in 12 countries | More than 40 countries as of August 31, 2026 |
| Targeting | Query and conversation, through your keywords and feed | Query and AI Overview content | Conversation context, ad copy and landing page |
| Opt out | No published setting | No, per Google's help page | Yes, it is a separate buy |
| Reporting | Mixed into top-of-page Search reporting | No segmented reporting | Aggregated views and clicks in Ads Manager |
| Status | Test, new formats in testing | Live | Live, self-serve in many regions |
ChatGPT details come from OpenAI's help center, which says ads show below a response on the Free and Go plans and that advertisers receive only aggregated, non-identifying data.
How do you get an account ready for Google AI Mode ads?
Getting an account ready for Google AI Mode ads means making sure eligible campaigns optimize toward the right conversions, feed and landing pages answer detailed questions, and exclusions protect the brand before more conversational traffic arrives. Call it an AI Mode readiness check: six steps to repeat each quarter.
- List the campaigns that can reach AI Mode. Mark every Performance Max, Shopping, broad match and AI Max campaign; exact and phrase only campaigns are in a limited test.
- Check the conversion goal. Make sure primary conversions and values reflect revenue or qualified leads, and set bids with a realistic target ROAS.
- Complete the product feed. Google's AI Overviews guidance asks for current descriptions, pricing, promotions, shipping, returns and images.
- Answer follow-up questions on the landing page. Conversational queries are specific, so the page should cover fit, comparisons and constraints, not only a headline offer.
- Tighten negatives and brand exclusions. These are the only filters that apply to AI Mode traffic.
- Test one campaign first. Run AI Max or broad match as a campaign experiment with an end date and compare conversions, not clicks.
Common mistakes with Google AI Mode ads
The common mistakes with Google AI Mode ads come from treating a US test as a channel you can buy, steer and report on. Most of them are fixed by working through the campaigns and data you control: eligibility, conversion goals, feeds, landing pages and a clear line between confirmed facts and reports.
- Treating trade press sightings as product launches. Formats such as ads for Explore guides and articles were spotted, not documented. Plan only around what Google confirms.
- Expecting an AI Mode report. There is no AI Mode segment in Google Ads as of October 2026. Judge campaigns on total conversions and incrementality.
- Switching on AI Max across the whole account for AI Mode reach. Broad match already makes a campaign eligible. Test AI Max per campaign so you can read the result.
- Assuming exact match keeps you out of AI Mode. Since September 2026 a small Google test lets exact and phrase match serve in AI Mode for queries with explicit intent.
- Running regulated ads without checking policy. The reported pharmaceutical test is US only and certification rules still apply.
- Thin feeds and landing pages. AI Mode answers detailed questions, so a feed or page without prices, shipping terms or specifics gives Google less to match.
