Google Ads in AI Mode: What You Need To Know

By: Jyll Saskin Gales, Google Ads Coach

At Google Marketing Live in 2025, Google announced that ads were coming to AI Mode. At Google Marketing Live in 2026, Google finally shared some specifics. Say hello to Conversational Discovery Ads, Highlighted Answers and Direct Offers.

In this article, I'll cover what advertisers need to know about Ads in AI Mode. Since this topic is constantly evolving, be sure to check back as I'll update this as new information emerges.

What is AI Mode?

AI Mode is Google's conversational search experience. While Google's Gemini is most analogous to other LLMs like ChatGPT or Claude, AI Mode is a Gemini-powered conversational experience accessed directly from Google Search. This is different from  AI Overviews, which are Gemini-powered summaries of information found in response to a user's search. From an AI Overview, a searcher can choose to "go deeper" in AI Mode. AI Mode is also being pushed from Google Business Profiles and other Google Search experiences. 

What do we know about Ads in AI Mode?

Although Google shared a while ago that ads were coming to AI Mode, there were very few user reports of actually seeing ads there. However, with ChatGPT ads launched just a few months ago, it's not surprising that Google is jumping ahead on that bandwagon.

At Google Marketing Live 2026, we finally learned more about what's coming for Ads in AI Mode. Specifically, Google shared three ad formats, plus details about creative, targeting and campaign types.

How can you place ads in AI Mode?

As of right now, you'll need to be running a Performance Max campaign or an AI Max campaign in order to be eligible to serve ads in AI Mode. Since we have AI Max for Search as well as AI Max for Shopping, that means that Search, Shopping and PMax campaigns are all eligible - but Search and Shopping only with AI Max enabled. This makes sense, given that the targeting and creative are fully automated for Ads in AI Mode.

What type of ads can you place in AI Mode?

While I expect this will keep changing, Google has currently shared three specific ad formats for Ads in AI Mode:

1. Conversational Discovery Ads:  Your ad can answer a person's specific question in AI Mode. For example, if a user asks in AI Mode "Help me plan my trip to Paris this summer" or "What type of mattress should I choose?" then you, the advertiser, can be included in AI Mode's response (with a sponsored ad disclosure, of course). PMax or AI Max would leverage Gemini-powered targeting and creative in order to provide a conversational response to the user. While we don't know too many specifics yet, the fact that Google used the word "Discovery" in the title of this ad format suggests that this may be analogous to running ads in the Discover feed, meaning they could be more visual, more audience-based and/or more awareness-based. These are just my informed guesses, though; time will tell, and I'll update this article accordingly when we learn more!
2. Highlighted Answers: Sometimes, AI Mode gives the user a list of recommendations. PMax or AI Max could place your offer as one of those sponsored answers. This is similar to current Google Search ads, where the sponsored ads appear above the organic results, or Shopping ads, where the sponsored products appear above the organic listings. 
3. Direct Offers: This pilot launched a few months ago, and lets advertisers place a product ads in AI Mode with a specific offer, like 20% off. Think of this like a Highlighted Answer, but only when there's a reason WHY the AI should choose your specific product: because you're offering some kind of discount or incentive to the user. Google is expanding this pilot to include more types of offers, and more industries like travel. This is the most "bottom of funnel" option of the three ad formats in AI Mode, since it's purely transactional. Watch this space!

Should you use Ads in AI Mode?

Like all new Google product launches, this feature is probably best left to the "big guys" while Google figures out what works and what doesn't. Expect zero control over your ad targeting, zero control over your ad creative, and zero reporting on what ads showed where and to whom. Basically, exactly what ChatGPT is doing, and not what Google Ads advertisers are used to!

Still, there's no doubt that something like AI Mode is the future of search, which could mean that Ads in AI Mode is the future of Google Ads. But it's possible that, like last year, Google could "talk a big game" about Ads in AI Mode without actually making this functionality widely available anytime soon.

I'll update this article as I start testing Ads in AI Mode with my clients, so be sure to check back for updates!