Key takeaways
- Google says it is scaling ads in AI Mode in Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Singapore, and plans to add Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom in Q4 2026 [1].
- In the US, Google is launching “multiturn ads,” which allow ads in follow-up queries in AI Mode [1].
- Google says click-through rates are “already similar” for sponsored and organic product list items in AI Mode, citing its own US data from Aug. 20 to Sept. 3, 2026 [1]. The post gives no rates.
Direct answer: Google is scaling ads labeled “Sponsored” inside AI Mode answers to 10 more countries, including Australia, and in the US ads can now also appear on follow-up questions. Existing Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns are eligible automatically, according to a Google Ads help page [2].
What happened: On Oct. 28, 2026, Shashi Thakur, Google’s VP and GM for Search ads, wrote on Google’s blog that the company is “scaling ads in AI Mode” in the 10 countries listed above, plans to expand to “additional locales, including Brazil, Mexico, and the United Kingdom” in Q4 2026, and is launching multiturn ads in the US to allow “ads in follow-up queries in AI Mode” [1]. The post links to a Google Ads help page on ads in AI Overviews and AI Mode [2].
What Google says
- Query length. “In AI Mode, queries are, on average, three times longer than traditional searches,” citing a Google AI Mode Report, US, May 2026 [1].
- Click-through rates. Google says “click-through rates are already similar between sponsored and organic product list items within AI Mode,” citing Google internal data, US, Aug. 20 to Sept. 3, 2026 [1]. The post gives no rates or sample size.
- Labeling. “Ads will be clearly labeled as ‘Sponsored’” [1]. The help page adds that “Paid advertising does not influence the organic responses generated by Google AI” [2].
What the help page adds
- No new campaigns. Existing Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns “are automatically eligible” to serve ads within AI Overviews and AI Mode [2].
- Matching to the answer as well as the query. Google matches ads either directly to the query or “contextually to both the user’s query and the AI response.” Exact and phrase match keywords are not eligible for contextual matching on broader exploratory questions [2].
- AI explainers. Some ads may carry short text “generated by Google’s Gemini models” that draws on the query, the AI response and “publicly available sources including your website.” Advertisers “can’t manually write, edit, approve, or opt out of them” [2].
- Reporting. Metrics for these ads are “included in aggregate” in standard Google Ads campaign and search terms reports [2]. The page does not describe a separate AI Mode breakdown.
Why it matters
With this expansion, sponsored units can appear in AI Mode answers in Australia and the other listed markets, and in the US they can follow a searcher into later turns of the conversation. Google has also said AI Mode and AI Overviews will show links higher in their answers (our report), so the space where organic citations and ads compete is changing on both sides.
Our view: For brands tracking how they appear in AI Mode, organic citation counts alone do not show the mix of sponsored and organic content a searcher may see in AI Mode. The AI explainer text is also a second place where Google’s AI writes about a business in a way the business cannot edit, alongside the AI review summaries in Search ads.
What we don’t know yet
- The actual click-through rates behind Google’s “similar” claim, and whether they hold outside US product list items.
- Dates for the Brazil, Mexico and UK expansions beyond “Q4 2026,” and whether multiturn ads will reach other countries.
- How often ads appear in AI Mode answers in each market. Google has not published figures.
- Whether advertisers will get reporting that separates AI Mode from other Search placements. The help page describes aggregate reporting only.
What to do now
- If you track AI Mode answers in Australia or the US, record sponsored units separately from organic citations, including on follow-up questions in the US.
- If you advertise, check which campaigns are now eligible: per the help page, existing Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns take part automatically.
- Keep your website accurate. Google says AI explainers may draw on publicly available sources, including your website [2].
Update log: Oct. 29, 2026 — First published.
Sources
[1] Thakur, S. (2026, Oct. 28). “Ads in AI Mode expand to new markets.” The Keyword (Google). Accessed Oct. 29, 2026. https://blog.google/products/ads-commerce/ads-in-ai-mode-global/
[2] Google. “About ads in AI-powered experiences in Google Search.” Google Ads Help. Accessed Oct. 29, 2026. https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/18826097
How this was made
Prepared with AI assistance from the sources cited above. Editorial review by Nhi Phan (editor) and fact-checking by Jackies continue after publication; any change will be recorded in the update log and in our Corrections Policy and Log.