Google is testing ads in AI Mode for people who connect Gmail

Google confirmed it is testing ads in AI Mode for people who have turned on Personal Intelligence, as Search Engine Land reported on October 16. Until now, that experience had been ad free. The Keyword's write up notes Google has not announced a wider rollout.

Personal Intelligence lets people connect their own Google apps to Search so answers can be tailored to them. Google's help page lists Gmail and Google Calendar from Google Workspace, plus Google Photos. Calendar is only available in the US in English, Photos isn't available in every region, and the whole feature is for users 18 and older.

This is the line that matters, straight from Google: "Ads will not be based directly on your Gmail inbox or your Google Photos library." Then the next sentence: "That same info may be used to show you ads, so they are even more helpful for you."

Read together, the two lines mean Google won't match an ad to the words in someone's email. But what Google learns from those connected apps can still shape which ads that person sees. Advertisers never get access to anyone's inbox or photos, Google says, and the ad still has to fit the question being asked and the answer on the screen.

Google also says it does not personalize ads using sensitive categories, which it names as race, religion, sexual orientation and health. If you run a medical or dental practice, that last one matters. Your ads in AI Mode won't be personalized from someone's health signals. They will show up, or not, based on what the person asks.

Probably fewer people than you'd think, at least for now. Connecting apps is optional, and Google says people can adjust their settings, including disconnecting apps, at any time. It's a test, not a rollout, and it only reaches people who chose to connect Gmail, Photos or Calendar in the first place.

Google's help page also asks people not to connect apps that hold personal or confidential information they wouldn't want a human reviewer to see, because a subset of AI Mode data is reviewed by people. Some privacy minded customers will read that and leave the feature off. So treat this as an early signal of where Google ads are heading, not a reason to rebuild your campaigns tonight.

Here is the twist. No new targeting options or controls have been announced for advertisers in this test. You can't buy a Personal Intelligence audience. You can't see a line in your report that says these clicks came from people with Gmail connected. Some of your ads may simply start reaching different people, and you won't be told why.

That is a familiar feeling for anyone who has run Google Ads in the last few years. The system gets smarter, the dashboard gets quieter, and you are left judging the results by one thing: did new customers show up?

When an AI decides where ads appear inside a conversation, vague ads lose. Someone in AI Mode doesn't type two words. They describe a whole situation, and Google tries to place an ad that fits it. The ad that wins says clearly who you help, where you are and what happens next.

Compare "Quality dental care" with "Same day crowns in Irvine, open Saturdays, most PPO plans accepted." One of those could be anyone. The other answers three questions a real patient is asking. Specific beats clever, and in AI search, specific is also easier for the machine to match.

You don't need to change your budget for a test you can't target. You do need to make sure you're ready if it grows:

• Rewrite your headlines and descriptions to say who you serve, where and what makes you different, in the words your customers use.
• Make sure the page each ad sends people to answers the same question the ad does, fast, on a phone.
• Track booked customers, not clicks, so you can tell if AI placements are helping or just spending.
• Keep your Google Business Profile hours, services and photos current, because AI answers lean on it.

If you also run ChatGPT ads, the same habits work there. Both systems reward ads that describe a real situation, and both give you less visibility than you're used to.

If you want help making your ads and pages clear enough for AI search to match, our founders will walk you through it. Talk to them below. See you in the next edition.