Google announced Wednesday that it will begin testing advertisements within its AI-powered search feature, AI Mode, marking a significant shift in how users may interact with the future of search.
The company says ads will appear “where relevant,” either below or integrated into AI-generated responses. The move comes as Google continues to expand its use of generative AI in Search, allowing users to pose complex queries and receive conversational, synthesized answers with follow-up links and contextual information.
For now, ads will be visible to U.S. users across both desktop and mobile, limited to Search and Shopping ads. Advertisers already running campaigns through Google’s Performance Max, Shopping, or Search with “broad match” will automatically be eligible to appear in AI Mode.
The introduction of ads into AI search comes as no surprise, considering Google’s reliance on advertising. The company reported \$66.89 billion in ad revenue in the first quarter of 2025 alone. Still, public opinion may be mixed: a recent CivicScience poll found that 36% of U.S. adults say they’re less likely to buy from brands that use AI in advertising.
Google’s push follows similar moves from industry rivals. Perplexity AI launched ads in its search engine last year, while Microsoft has previously piloted ads in its Copilot chatbot. OpenAI has also signaled openness to exploring ad-supported models for its AI tools in the future.
In a related development, Google also announced it will expand ad placement in AI Overviews, the search feature that automatically summarizes answers to queries. Ads labeled “Sponsored” will begin appearing in AI Overviews on desktop in the U.S., with plans to roll out to select countries and platforms in English.
While Google insists it is engaging with publishers and stakeholders to address potential impacts, critics argue that AI-generated summaries — now featuring ads — may reduce traffic to original sources and threaten publishers’ advertising revenues.
As AI reshapes the way users search for and interact with information, Google’s latest move signals a clear direction: advertising will remain deeply embedded in the future of search, regardless of how intelligent or conversational it becomes.
