Google has expanded advertising in AI Mode, its conversational AI-powered search experience. Starting October 28, 2026, the company is scaling ad placements to ten additional markets, including Canada, Australia, and India. Eligible Search, Shopping, and Performance Max campaigns can automatically appear in AI Mode without a separate campaign. However, advertisers cannot turn off only this placement or isolate its results in a separate standard report.
Key Takeaways
- On October 28, Google announced an expansion of AI Mode advertising to ten new markets.
- Eligible Search, Shopping, and Performance Max campaigns can automatically serve ads there.
- AI Mode advertising cannot be enabled or disabled separately.
- Ads within AI Mode are currently available in English; in Pakistan, only text ads are supported.
- AI Mode results are included in overall Google Ads campaign metrics without a separate standard breakdown.
- In the US, Google is also rolling out ads in subsequent turns of AI Mode conversations.
Which Countries Are Getting Ads in Google AI Mode?
Google announced that it is scaling AI Mode advertising to ten markets:
- Australia;
- Canada;
- India;
- Kenya;
- Malaysia;
- New Zealand;
- Nigeria;
- Pakistan;
- the Philippines;
- Singapore.
Google previously tested ads in AI Mode in the United States. The company is now bringing this model to other markets where the corresponding search experience is available.
According to the official documentation, ads within AI Mode and AI Overviews in these countries support English. An additional restriction applies to Pakistan: only text ads are available.
In the fourth quarter of 2026, Google also plans to expand AI Mode ad availability to additional markets, including Brazil, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. These are announced plans, not confirmation that the feature had launched in those markets as of November 4.
Ukraine is not among the new markets. However, Ukrainian advertisers targeting supported geographies and languages should account for the possibility of such impressions in their campaigns.
How Ads Appear in AI Mode
AI Mode differs from traditional search results. A user can ask a complex question, receive a generated answer, refine their requirements, and continue the conversation.
Google uses this context to select relevant advertisements. Ads can appear directly within or alongside an AI-generated answer and are labeled Sponsored.
For example, someone asks how to choose a vacuum cleaner for a home with pets. AI explains which specifications to consider, and sponsored offers for relevant models may appear nearby.
An important difference is that the system can consider not only the initial query but also the content of the AI answer. This makes it possible to detect commercial intent even in exploratory questions that do not explicitly ask to buy a product.
Search, Shopping, and Performance Max Are Included Automatically
Advertising in AI Mode does not require a separate campaign type or dedicated budget. Google automatically makes eligible Search, Shopping, and Performance Max campaigns available for auctions in the new search environment.
However, automatic eligibility does not guarantee an impression. Delivery depends on the query’s relevance, campaign settings, the ad auction, and Google Ads policies.
For Search campaigns, Google describes two main scenarios:
- Direct commercial query. A user searches for a specific product or service. Ads are matched using logic similar to regular Search.
- Contextual commercial intent. A user researches a problem, and a potential need for a product emerges as the AI answer develops.
Broad match, AI Max, Shopping, and Performance Max can participate in both scenarios. By contrast, exact match and phrase match in Search are eligible for direct matching to a commercial query, but not for broader contextual matching based on the AI answer.
This makes automated query matching more important for reaching exploratory search demand. UAGEEK previously explained how Google is moving some Search campaigns to AI Max and which settings change as a result.
Can You Turn Off Ads in AI Mode?
No, there is no separate AI Mode opt-out switch. Google considers AI Mode and AI Overviews part of the Search ecosystem rather than independent advertising networks.
Advertisers therefore cannot select AI Mode as their only placement or exclude it while leaving regular Search unchanged.
Standard controls remain available, however, including negative keywords, brand exclusions, and other applicable campaign restrictions.
This is a fundamental difference between being unable to disable a particular environment and having no control over advertising at all. Advertisers can still limit unwanted queries but cannot manage AI Mode as a separate channel.
The Biggest Analytics Problem: No Separate Reporting
Google includes impressions, clicks, spend, and conversions from AI Mode in standard reporting for eligible campaigns. Search queries may also appear in the Search terms report under normal reporting rules.
But Google does not offer a standard reporting segment that would allow a precise comparison of AI Mode performance with traditional Search.
For performance teams, this creates a limitation: if a campaign’s CPA or ROAS changes after the AI Mode expansion, aggregate reports alone cannot prove that the new ad inventory caused the change.
Seasonality, competitors’ bids, the mix of queries, budget changes, and conversion signal quality can all affect results at the same time.
After the expansion, advertisers should therefore monitor the Search terms report, lead quality, conversions, and actual return more closely instead of drawing conclusions based only on CTR changes.
Google Starts Showing Ads During AI Conversations
Alongside the geographical expansion, Google is rolling out multiturn ads in the US—ads that may appear during a user’s follow-up questions in AI Mode.
This is an important change to the mechanics of search advertising. In regular Search, every new query triggers a separate search interaction. In a conversational interface, commercial intent can form gradually.
For example, a person may first research electric vehicles, then compare models, and later ask about charging costs. An ad may potentially appear at the point when the system identifies a relevant commercial need.
Google is also experimenting with AI explainers—short explanations generated by Gemini models that help connect an advertised offer with the query context. Advertisers cannot edit or separately disable these explanations themselves.
Google also says paid ads do not influence the content of organic AI-generated answers. Ad placements must be visually separated and marked as sponsored.
Is There Evidence That Ads in AI Mode Perform Better?
Google reports that AI Mode queries are three times longer on average than traditional searches. This is based on the company’s internal US research from May 2026.
Google also says that click-through rates for sponsored and organic product listings within AI Mode have already reached similar levels. This finding is based on the company’s internal US data from August 20 through September 3, 2026.
However, these figures do not prove that AI Mode delivers higher conversion rates, lower CPA, or better ROAS than traditional Search.
CTR figures for product listings also cannot automatically be applied to every ad format, business category, or country.
What Changes for Media Buyers and E-commerce
The AI Mode expansion potentially opens additional touchpoints with users who have not yet formulated a specific commercial query but are already researching a problem or comparing solutions.
For e-commerce, the quality of product feeds, accurate product titles and descriptions, up-to-date prices, and consistency with landing page information become especially important.
For Search campaigns, high-quality conversion data and keyword control take on greater importance. AI Max and broad match may help reach broader contextual demand, but they also require advertisers to check the relevance of incoming traffic.
Advertisers in regulated verticals should be particularly careful. Automatic campaign participation in a new advertising environment does not override Google’s policies. In particular, the official help page for AI Overviews lists restrictions for sensitive categories, including gambling, alcohol, financial products, and healthcare products.
The expansion of AI Mode advertising also fits Google’s broader strategy. As UAGEEK previously reported, Google search advertising grew 17% in the second quarter of 2026despite the spread of AI-generated answers in Search. This is not evidence that any particular AI placement is effective, but it shows that the company continues to monetize search demand in new formats.
What to Check in Google Ads After the AI Mode Expansion
- Geography and language. Determine whether campaigns target countries where Google already supports ads within AI Mode.
- Match types. Check whether broad match, AI Max, or other contextual matching mechanisms are being used.
- Negative keywords and brands. Review existing restrictions, especially for expensive and sensitive categories.
- Landing pages. Make sure your website information is accurate, up to date, and consistent with advertising claims.
- Product feeds. For Shopping and PMax, check product prices, availability, titles, images, and attributes in Merchant Center.
- Conversions. Compare CPA, ROAS, and lead quality before and after the changes, but do not attribute differences to AI Mode without additional evidence.
Teams that are only planning to expand their media buying may also find UAGEEK’s article on Google Ads as an additional channel for performance teams useful, with an explanation of the roles of Search, Demand Gen, and Performance Max.
Conclusion: New Inventory Without Separate Controls
Google is bringing its Search advertising model into conversational AI-powered search and opening AI Mode to new countries. Advertisers do not need to create separate campaigns, but they also do not get an independent switch or comprehensive standalone reporting for this environment.
For businesses, this is a potential opportunity to reach buyers during earlier stages of choosing a product or service. At the same time, it remains difficult to measure the new inventory’s actual effectiveness separately from regular Search.
The main task for media buyers, therefore, is not to rush to increase budgets because of AI Mode but to review targeted geographies, conversion quality, search queries, and available controls.
Sources for Verification
Sources for Verification
Google — Ads in AI Mode expand to new markets, October 28, 2026. The official announcement of ten new markets, plans for further expansion, multiturn ads, and internal data on user behavior.
Official Google announcement
Google Ads Help — About ads in AI-powered experiences in Google Search. Official documentation on eligible campaigns, matching mechanisms, geographies, languages, reporting, and the absence of a separate AI Mode opt-out.
Rules for ads in AI Mode and AI Overviews
Google Ads Help — About ads and AI Overviews. Differences between ads within AI Overviews and regular Search ads, plus restrictions on sensitive advertising categories.
Documentation on ads in AI Overviews
Google — A new generation of ads for the AI era of Search, May 20, 2026. Earlier experiments with ad formats that use Gemini to explain the relevance of products and services.
Evolution of AI Mode ad formats
