Google Ads

AI Mode ads expand to new markets, but you still can't choose where they appear

Google is expanding AI Mode ads to 10 markets, and in the US it now also shows them on follow-up questions. There is still no separate targeting for AI answers - your only controls are negative keywords and brand exclusions.

Bartosz Bielawski

Bartosz Bielawski

· 2 min read
Share
AI Mode ads expand to new markets, but you still can't choose where they appear

Signal in the data

Independent sources on this topic: 3 in the last week, 5 in 30 days, 8 in 90 days. We have tracked it since 2026-08-05; 16 claims in our database in total.

wk 320
wk 331
wk 340
wk 350
wk 361
wk 370
wk 380
wk 391
wk 400
wk 410
wk 422
wk 433

Number of independent sources per week (last 12 weeks).

What is happening

Ads in AI Mode, the conversational AI mode in Google Search, are rolling out to 10 markets. In the US, they also appear on follow-up questions that users ask during the conversation (Search Engine Journal).

For advertisers, though, the key point is something else: you cannot target ads separately to AI Mode or to AI Overviews, the AI summaries shown above the results.

These placements are not available as separate options in your campaign settings. Negative keywords and brand exclusions, however, still work.

Where sources agree

Sources agree that paid and organic visibility in AI answers are two separate things. Money spent on advertising and marketing does not automatically translate into AI mentioning your brand (Widoczni).

Some also argue that advertising in AI is simpler than SEO for AI. The results of ads scale with the budget, while the results of organic visibility work are delayed and uncertain (CallPage).

Where they differ

There is less agreement about the creatives themselves. Part of the market readily uses AI to generate ads - on TV, more than one in five ads is already made this way (Złapani w Sieć).

Audience research paints a less optimistic picture. Ads created by AI were rated as more annoying, boring and confusing than conventional ones (Logically Answered).

That matters in AI Mode, where the ad sits right next to an answer written by AI. A creative that sounds like just another chatbot reply is easy to overlook.

What to do about it

Do not wait for separate AI Mode targeting. Since you cannot choose this placement on its own, review your negative keywords and brand exclusions with longer, conversational queries in mind.

Check whether your ads answer a specific question rather than simply repeating a slogan. In a conversation with AI, users ask follow-up questions, so your ad copy should fit their next step.

Do not treat ads in AI as a substitute for organic visibility work. They are two different channels, and each needs to be measured separately.

Our take

Ads in AI answers are quickly becoming a normal part of Google Ads, but they come with no new controls. Advertisers do not decide whether their ad shows in AI Mode - they can only steer it indirectly through negative keywords and query selection. For now, this is more an extension of the reach of existing campaigns than a new, separate channel.

Confidence: medium - the facts about the expansion and the lack of targeting come from one strong source, while the others describe the wider context of ads and AI. We will change our view if: Google introduces separate targeting or performance reporting for AI Mode and AI Overviews, or data shows that ads in AI Mode perform very differently from those in classic results.

Sources

Read more