Google will “explore bringing ads into” its new AI Mode, the company told ADWEEK. AI Mode, rolled out in beta Wednesday, can conduct multiple searches at once to serve up in-depth, multi-step responses to complex user queries.
While ads aren’t yet available in AI Mode, Google said it will “leverage learnings” from ads products built into AI Overviews—the simpler, AI-generated responses that Google Search sometimes surfaces atop results’ pages—to inform its approach to advertising within AI Mode in the future.
Ads in AI Overviews hint at what ads in AI Mode might look like
Ads within AI Overviews are typically sourced from existing Search and Shopping campaigns, appearing beneath the AI-generated responses under a “Sponsored” heading. The formats are designed to align with the user’s query, and may link to related products or services. Ads in AI Overviews are currently available only in the U.S. and on mobile.
Since debuting ads in AI Overviews in October, a Google spokesperson told ADWEEK responses from consumers have been positive.
Ad buyers warn that what works in AI Overviews might not in AI Mode
Advertisers using Google Search, Shopping, and its AI-powered Performance Max (PMax) are eligible to have their ads served in AI Overviews algorithmically, but they cannot explicitly select inventory in AI Overviews.
Melissa Mackey, head of paid search at the consultancy Compound Growth Marketing, said she finds ads in AI Overviews “compelling” because they may “do a better job of answering user questions than the regular search engine results pages, so if an advertiser has a well-targeted ad that answers a user’s question, it’s likely to perform well.”
However, Mackey is more skeptical about ads in AI Mode, speculating that they could feel more intrusive to users. “Advertisers will need to get creative to capture attention and pull users away from the conversation in order to be effective,” she said.
Navah Hopkins, an exec at pay-per-click platform Optmyzr, agrees that performing well within the AI Mode environment could be a tall order. Because the feature is designed to keep users engaged within the conversation—asking follow-ups and exploring related topics—she predicts click-through rates could be lower than traditional search ads.
“There might be lower click-through rates as the goal of AI Mode is to answer the question as completely in the chat,” she said.