🔍 Read the full analysis: When Answers Carry Ads: Google Expands AI Search Worldwide on ThorstenMeyerAI.com
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TL;DR
Google said on October 28 that ads in its chat-style AI Mode are expanding to 10 more countries, with ads also appearing in US follow-up answers. The rollout comes as Google Search advertising revenue growth slowed to 12% in the third quarter; questions remain about how ads affect publisher traffic and how independently their influence on AI answers has been checked.
Google said on October 28 it is expanding ads in its chat-style AI Mode to 10 additional countries and adding them to follow-up questions in the United States. The change puts advertising into more stages of AI-powered searches, as Alphabet reported that Google Search and other revenue grew 12% in the third quarter, down from 17% in the previous quarter.
The new markets are Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Singapore. Google said it plans to add Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom in the fourth quarter of 2026. In the US, the company is introducing what it calls “multiturn ads”, which can appear when users ask follow-up questions in AI Mode, not just in response to their initial query.
Google’s announcement, by search ads chief Shashi Thakur, also describes how ads appear in AI answers. The company says they will be labeled “Sponsored” and that ads do not affect the AI’s answer. That separation is Google’s stated policy; the source report says it found no independent audit of whether advertising influences answers.
Advertisers using existing Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns are included automatically, according to Google Ads Help. The report says advertisers cannot opt out or separately target these placements, and performance is reported in aggregate. Google’s AI may also generate short explanations alongside ads that advertisers cannot edit. The company said AI Mode queries average three times the length of conventional searches and that click-through rates for sponsored and unpaid product listings in AI Mode were similar. Its comparison is based on internal US data from August 20 to September 3, 2026, and does not compare clicks to websites.
Infographic 01 · From test to global
The answer now carries the ad, in more places.
How Google moved ads into its AI answers in two years, where they show today, and the revenue pressure behind the move.
Where ads appear inside AI answers
Per Google’s help page and the 28 Oct post. The list “may not be exhaustive”.
Follow-up questions (“multiturn ads”): US only. Germany and the rest of the EU: not listed. Ads above or below AI Overviews can show wherever AI Overviews exist (200+ countries and territories).
Why now: Google Search & other revenue growth
Year over year, as reported by Alphabet. Bars scaled to 19%.
Q2 to Q3 2026: about +0.1%. Same months a year earlier: about +4.4% (my arithmetic). Google names exchange rates as the largest driver of the slowdown, and the “lower monetization” of AI Mode as one factor.
- 3 Oct 2024Ads inside AI Overviews go liveUS, mobile, after months of testing
- 21 May 2025Desktop in the US; first tests in AI ModeEnglish-speaking countries announced for later in 2025
- 20 May 2026New formats in testingConversational Discovery ads and Highlighted Answers, both with a Gemini-written “AI explainer”
- 28 Oct 2026AI Mode ads in 10 more countriesPlus “multiturn ads” in follow-up questions in the US; labeled “Sponsored”
- Q4 2026Planned: Brazil, Mexico, United Kingdom“Additional locales, including” these three
Sources: Google, 28 Oct 2026; Google Ads Help, accessed 29 Oct 2026; Google, 3 Oct 2024; Google, 21 May 2025; Google, 20 May 2026; Alphabet Q3 2026 release and the Q4 2025, Q1 2026 and Q2 2026 releases. “3× longer” is Google’s AI Mode report (US, May 2026). Quarter-on-quarter changes and bar scaling: Thorsten Meyer.
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Ads Enter More AI Search Steps
For users, the change means a product advertisement may appear within an AI-assisted conversation, including after an initial answer when they ask what to do next. Google says the “Sponsored” label identifies these placements, but users still need to distinguish paid content from the AI-generated response and other search results.
For advertisers, the expansion creates more opportunities to reach people through longer, conversational queries. But automatic participation and aggregate reporting limit the controls and placement-specific detail advertisers may have. The format also raises a practical question: whether a user’s follow-up request is being answered by the system, shown a paid recommendation, or both.
For publishers that depend on search visits, the key issue is whether users click through to websites or get what they need within the AI experience. A randomized experiment involving 1,065 US users, described in the source as a 2026 working paper by Agarwal and Sen, found that AI Overviews reduced website clicks by 39.8% when they appeared; the study found no measurable change in ad clicks. This is a particular study result, not a measure of the effect of the new AI Mode ads across all searches.
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Search Revenue and AI Rollout
Google has been adding advertising to AI search in stages. Ads in AI Overviews—summaries displayed within standard search results—launched for US mobile users in October 2024 and came to desktop in May 2025, according to the timeline in the source report. Google began testing ads in AI Mode in 2025. At its May 2026 marketing event, it also introduced tests of formats that tailor ad text to questions and place ads within recommendation lists.
AI Overviews are summaries within regular Google Search, while AI Mode is a separate, conversational search experience. The October announcement extends the latter’s ad rollout and adds advertising to US follow-up turns. Google’s help page, as described in the source report on October 29, lists 12 countries for ads in AI answers and says the feature is English-only; Germany and other European Union countries are not listed.
Alphabet reported $63.4 billion in third-quarter revenue from Google Search and other, about half of the company’s total revenue. Its growth rate was 17% in the second quarter and 12% in the third. Chief business officer Philipp Schindler cited exchange rates as the largest factor behind the slowdown, as well as retail and media spending patterns. He also said the growth in AI Mode queries affected results because those searches had “lower monetization.” The figures make the advertising expansion financially relevant, but do not establish that the new placements will close the gap.
How Ads Affect Answers and Clicks
It is not yet clear how often ads will appear in AI Mode conversations, how the placements will affect website visits across different searches, or how advertisers will assess performance when reporting is aggregated. Google says ads do not influence its AI answers, but the source report says it found no independent audit of that claim. The company’s internal click-through comparison also does not establish whether users click through to publishers more or less often.
The rollout’s availability may change over time. As of October 29, the source report said Google’s help page listed 12 countries for ads in AI answers, in English, and did not list Germany or other EU countries. Google has announced Brazil, Mexico and the UK for the fourth quarter, but the source material does not give specific launch dates.
Rollout and Traffic Data Ahead
Google’s next stated expansion is to Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom in the fourth quarter of 2026. The company has not supplied specific dates in the material provided. Advertisers and publishers will be watching for further rollout details, reporting options and evidence about whether the new ad placements change user behavior.
Future results should be read with care: Search revenue reflects multiple factors, including exchange rates and advertising demand, while a change in website traffic cannot be attributed to AI ads without relevant comparative data. Google’s labeling policy and its claim that ads do not shape answers remain central points to monitor as AI Mode ads reach more markets and more turns in a conversation.
Key Questions
Where is Google expanding ads in AI Mode?
Google named 10 additional countries: Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Singapore. It said Brazil, Mexico and the UK are planned for the fourth quarter of 2026.
What are multiturn ads?
They are ads that can appear in US AI Mode follow-up questions, so an ad may be shown during a continuing search conversation as well as after the initial query.
How does Google say users can identify these ads?
Google says ads in AI answers will carry a “Sponsored” label. It also says ads do not influence the AI’s answer; the source report says that claim has not been independently audited.
Can advertisers opt out of the new placements?
According to Google Ads Help as described in the source report, existing Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns participate automatically. The report says advertisers cannot opt out or target these placements separately, and results are reported in aggregate.
Does the announcement show that AI ads reduce publisher traffic?
No. A cited working-paper experiment found that AI Overviews reduced website clicks by 39.8% when they appeared, while ad clicks showed no measurable change. That finding concerns the study’s AI Overview test, not the effect of the newly expanded AI Mode ads.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
