Google now shows ads in AI Mode's follow-up questions

Shashi Thakur, who runs Google's Search ads, laid out the expansion in a short post:

• More countries: ads in AI Mode are scaling in Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Singapore. Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom are among the locales planned for the fourth quarter of 2026.
• Follow-up questions: Google calls these multiturn ads. It is launching them in the U.S. so ads can appear in follow-up queries in AI Mode.
• Labels: Google says the ads will be clearly marked "Sponsored."

One caveat, because a shrewd reader should ask. The post doesn't explain how multiturn ads work in detail, and the Google Ads help page says only that ads can appear across follow-up questions. So we know where they appear, but not yet how an ad gets chosen for the third question in a conversation. Anyone selling you a multiturn playbook today is guessing with confidence.

Google gave two data points to make the case. It says AI Mode queries are, on average, three times longer than traditional searches, based on its own U.S. report from May 2026. It also says click-through rates are already similar between sponsored and organic product list items in AI Mode, based on internal U.S. data from August 20 to September 3, 2026.

Read that second claim slowly. It covers product list items, in one country, over about two weeks, and it comes from the company selling the ads. It doesn't say a dentist's text ad will perform like an organic answer. It's a promising sign from an interested party. Every ad platform has one of those for its new inventory.

The longer-query number is the more useful one. A person who types three times as much is telling you a lot more about what they need. In May, Google described new formats built for that behavior: Conversational Discovery ads that respond to a specific question, and Highlighted Answers that can appear in AI Mode's recommendation lists. Google said those were being tested, so check what's live before you plan around them.

Google's help page says existing Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns are automatically eligible, with no new campaigns or budgets required. Ads use the same auction and bidding as standard Search ads, with no extra charge to participate.

Which of your ads can show depends on how you target:

• AI Max for Search, broad match, Shopping and Performance Max: eligible for both direct query matching and contextual matching, which matches an ad to the question and the AI response.
• Exact and phrase match: eligible only when a query shows direct commercial intent. They aren't eligible for contextual matching on longer, exploratory questions.

Marketing insight: If your account runs only on exact and phrase match, you've made a decision about AI Mode without ever having a meeting about it. You'll miss the exploratory questions. That may be the right call for a tight budget, but it should be a choice.

The same help page is frank about the limits, and a few of them deserve a place in your next budget conversation.

• No separate opt-out: you can't target AI Overviews or AI Mode separately, or opt out of them separately from Search.
• Reporting is blended: metrics are included in aggregate in campaign reports and the search terms report.
• AI explainers: some placements include explainers generated by Google. You can't write, edit, approve or opt out of them.

So Google may describe your business next to your ad, in words you didn't approve, and your report may not separate that placement from a regular search. If you've ever watched a brand manager lose sleep over a comma, bring snacks to that budget conversation.

You still have some levers. Negative keywords, brand exclusions and asset pinning all still apply to when and how your ads serve.

Also on October 28, Microsoft Advertising published its October update, and its theme was control. Messaging guidelines are now in open pilot for Performance Max and for Search campaigns with AI Max enabled. Advertisers can give up to 40 guidelines about claims, themes, tone or language to avoid, plus preferred wording.

The same update also says its Conversions API is now generally available, search term and auction insights reports have arrived for Performance Max, and a new tool can turn your website and brand guidelines into a first Performance Max campaign in minutes. That last promise is Microsoft's own, and it comes with no performance numbers. Treat it as a fast first draft and keep the strategy for yourself.

Different platforms, same direction: AI writes more of the ad and picks more of the moments. The advertiser's job moves from writing every line to setting the rules and feeding in accurate data.

• Check your match types. Know which campaigns can reach exploratory questions and which can't, then decide on purpose.
• Read your search terms report. Longer, question-style searches show you how people describe your problem. Add negative keywords where the intent is wrong.
• Fix your conversion data. Google recommends pairing AI-powered targeting with conversion or value-based Smart Bidding and accurate first-party data. If your account counts page views as wins, the machine will happily find you more page views.
• Keep your facts current. Google tells Shopping advertisers to keep Merchant Center feeds complete, accurate and current. Google also says clear, current website content helps it surface accurate context in AI explainers, and you can't edit an explainer, so check your prices, services and hours.
• Set your rules on Microsoft. If you advertise there, write down the claims your brand can't make and load them as guidelines.

Ads are moving from the search results page into the conversation itself, and they're arriving through campaigns you already run. You don't need to panic or rebuild anything. Take an honest look at your match types, your conversion data and the words on your own website.

Not sure what your Google Ads account is agreeing to right now? Talk to our founders below. See you in the next edition.