Google Introduces Ads to AI-Powered Search Features, Sparking Debate on User Experience and Revenue

Google is bringing ads to AI Mode | TechCrunch

Google on Wednesday detailed its plans to bring ads to AI Mode, the company's AI-powered experience in Google Search. Ads may appear "where relevant" below and "integrated into" AI Mode responses as part of a test, Google says. AI Mode lets Google Search users ask a question and get an AI-generated response, with the ability to go deeper through follow-up questions and links to websites. "[For example,] in some cases, a website builder might be a good next step [in an AI Mode query], so we may show a helpful ad that can help [users] get started," explains Google in a blog post provided to TechCrunch. "From there, [the user] can ask questions to explore possible business ideas, what type of content they should develop, and even learn about their target audience." Ads being Google's primary cash cow -- the company notched $66.89 billion in ad revenue in Q1 2025 alone -- it was inevitable that they'd eventually make their way into what many see as the future of Google Search. But that doesn't mean users will be pleased. According to a recent poll by CivicScience, a consumer analytics platform, 36% of U.S. adults said they'd be less likely to purchase from a brand that uses AI in ads. Google says that advertisers already using its Performance Max, Shopping, and Search campaigns with "broad match" will be eligible to have their ads shown in AI Mode. Users in the U.S. will see ads, specifically Search and Shopping ads for now, in AI Mode across desktop and mobile. Several of Google's rivals have experimented -- or are considering experimenting -- with ads in their AI products. AI-powered search engine Perplexity launched ads last November, and hasn't ruled out collecting data outside its platform to sell more targeted advertising. Microsoft briefly piloted ads in its Copilot chatbot several years ago. OpenAI, too, has said that it may one day adopt an ad-supported model to supplement subscriptions. In related news Wednesday, Google said that it will expand ads in AI Overviews, its Google Search feature that automatically synthesizes and summarizes answers to queries. Search and Shopping ads will soon appear on desktop in the U.S. ahead of an expansion to "select countries" on mobile and desktop in English. In AI Overviews, ads are inserted in AI-generated summaries "when relevant to both the query and the response provided," Google says. They're labeled as "Sponsored." Google first brought ads to AI Overviews in the U.S. on mobile last October. Some publishers have argued that Google's moves threaten their own ad revenue. According to an expert cited by The New York Post, AI-generated overviews could lead to more than $2 billion in publisher losses thanks to the resultant decline in ad views. Google has said that it takes publishers' concerns into account in workshopping its AI search experiences and advertising products for those experiences.

Google is stuffing even more ads into its AI results

Emma Roth is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. Google's AI search results are about to get even more ads. On May 21st, the company announced that it's going to start testing ads in AI Mode, the new AI-powered search feature that just rolled out to everyone in the US. AI Mode is the new tab in Google Search that opens an AI chatbot-like interface, where you can get a rundown of what you're searching for, along with links to relevant websites. But these answers could soon have product recommendations and other ads. As an example, Google says if a user asks AI Mode for tips on how to build a website, the feature will surface a step-by-step guide on how to get started. It might even show a "helpful ad" for a website builder, which will have a "sponsored" label on it. Google says it's testing search and shopping ads in AI Mode for users on desktop and mobile. The search giant is also expanding its ads in AI Overviews -- the AI-generated summaries that appear at the top of some search results -- from mobile to desktop devices. Now, if you're searching for advice on how to bring small dogs on flights, you might see a "sponsored" list of small dog carriers and links to buy them beneath the AI Overview. Ads in AI Overviews on desktop are rolling out to everyone in the US starting today. Google also plans to bring ads to English-language AI Overviews in "select countries" later this year.

Google claims users find ads in AI search 'helpful'

Google AI mode and AI Overviews now have ads, which, according to the search engine giant, are "helpful." At the Google Marketing Live event last week, Google confirmed it has started rolling out ads to AI mode and AI Overviews in the US, which create new "opportunities for customers." While I haven't seen ads in AI Overviews, some users spotted them last week, and these ads appear below the AI Overviews, followed by the traditional blue links. In a support document spotted by SER, Google described ads in AI search results as a new way to find information on the web. SEO consultant Gagan Ghotra pointed out an interesting excerpt in the document that claims users find ads in these AI search results helpful. "Google internal data shows that people have been finding the ads within AI Overviews helpful because they can quickly connect with relevant businesses, products, and services to take the next step at the exact moment they need them," the company wrote in the document. Google won't share the numbers or methodology of its "internal data," but it wants you to believe that ads are helpful, especially in AI search results. Ads aren't necessarily bad, but they're certainly not helpful when they mislead users or appear above the actual content and disrupt the flow. Google reported $72.5 billion in advertising revenue in its last quarterly report, and it's expected to increase as ads expand beyond the blue links.

Google's AI Search Is About to Get Even Worse

Summary Google is expanding ads in AI Overviews and adding them to AI Mode to desktop platforms. Ads may appear in AI-generated responses in AI Mode whenever they're relevant to the search query. Ads help monetize AI without burdening users, but may be annoying. We're used to seeing the occasional ad on Google Search, but it's a new era, and now AI is helping you with your search queries as well. The bad news is that Google is, too, making efforts to embed ads in those AI search results as well. Now, they're being greatly expanded. Google has announced expansions to its ad initiative throughout both AI Overviews as well as Google's new AI-only search mode, AI Mode. AI Overviews already featured some ads, but now, Google announced that Search and Shopping ads within AI Overviews are expanding to desktop platforms in the US, starting today. Previously, these ads were mainly shown on mobile platforms whenever an AI Overview popped up in a search query, as long as the ad in question was relevant to the actual response. Looking ahead, the company plans to further extend ads in AI Overviews in English to select international markets on both mobile and desktop later this year -- currently ads are only available in the US, but they might soon become as global as regular ads in regular search results are. In addition to the AI Overviews expansion, Google is now testing the integration of ads into its AI Mode. As a refresher, while AI Overviews pop up in addition to good old search results, AI Mode gets rid of search results completely to keep a longer AI output, kind of like what you would get from Google's Gemini chatbot. Within AI Mode, ads may appear below or be integrated into the AI-generated responses where deemed relevant. As an example, Google laid out a scenario where someone might search AI Mode for "how to build a website for a small business with limited resources." The system would generate a step-by-step guide, and if appropriate, an ad for a website builder could be displayed as a potential next step. Related Google's AI Mode Is Now Rolling Out Widely Google's AI Mode will give you more than just links. Posts 1 Monetizing AI can be tricky, and it's currently done for the most part with paid memberships for AI chatbots that give you, among other things, improved rate limits and better, more intelligent models. Ads are a way to monetize models without having to put the burden of paying for the service on the user. For AI Overviews, it has worked relatively fine since Search already had ads to some degree, but for AI Mode, some people could find it to be a tad more annoying. This is currently a test, which means that if you're in the US, you might start seeing them more frequently. Your mileage may vary if you live in other countries, and you won't see them within AI Mode at the moment. Source: Google

Google brings ads to AI search in ChatGPT battle

Google said Wednesday it is beginning to weave advertisements into its new AI Mode for online search, a strategic move to counter the challenge posed by ChatGPT as the primary source for online answers. The integration of advertising has been a key question surrounding the immense popularity of generative artificial intelligence chatbots, which have largely avoided interrupting the user experience with ads. However, advertising remains Google's financial bedrock, accounting for over two-thirds of its revenue. The rising popularity of chatbots has sparked concern on Wall Street regarding Google's future earnings. Google's AI Mode, unveiled Tuesday, is perceived as the company's direct response to the escalating threat of ChatGPT siphoning off search queries and undermining Google's established business model. The new mode will facilitate a more conversational interaction with Google during search queries, providing answers in diverse formats, such as video, audio or graphs. The internet giant said it is testing ad integration within AI Mode responses, building on insights gained from AI-generated summaries, or "Overviews," introduced to search results a year ago. These Overviews already display comprehensive AI-generated responses above traditional website links and ads. "The future of advertising fueled by AI isn't coming -- it's already here," stated Vidhya Srinivasan, Google's vice president of Ads & Commerce. "We're reimagining the future of ads and shopping: Ads that don't interrupt, but help customers discover a product or service." Since their debut at Google's developers conference a year ago, AI Overviews have reached over 1.5 billion users across various countries, according to the company. Google also said Wednesday that it is extending ads in AI Overviews to desktop in the US, following successful mobile implementations. Google's aggressive push into generative AI intensifies its competition with OpenAI's ChatGPT, which has also incorporated search engine functionalities into its popular chatbot. Additionally, Google announced it is making AI tools available to advertisers to streamline the creation of online marketing content, mirroring similar initiatives by Facebook-owner Meta, Google's primary rival in online advertising. New features, available in the United States, will enable merchants to leverage AI for effective marketing campaigns and to "power an algorithm capable of targeting new searches and generating additional conversions," Google said.

Ads pressured to evolve as AI changes Google search

As Google races to lead in artificial intelligence, it faces the challenge of making sure the technology doesn't slow its profit-pumping advertising engine. The internet giant is dabbling with ads in its new AI Mode for online search, a strategic move to fend off competition from ChatGPT while adapting its advertising business for an AI age. "There's no question that AI is becoming more commonplace as a source for answers," IDC advertising and marketing technology research director Roger Beharry Lall told AFP. "That will inevitably result in a shift in terms of search and the opportunities to promote a brand." The integration of advertising has been a key question accompanying the rise of generative AI chatbots, which have largely avoided interrupting the user experience with marketing messages. However, advertising remains Google's financial bedrock, accounting for more than two-thirds of its revenue. "Google certainly needs to find a way to monetize AI search in the way that it has monetized its past versions of search," Techsponential analyst Avi Greengart told AFP at the tech giant's annual developers conference this week. AI-fueled ads A new AI Mode enables conversational interaction with Google during search queries, providing answers in diverse formats, such as video, audio or graphs. The internet giant said it is testing integrating ads into AI Mode responses, building on insights gained from AI-generated summaries, or "Overviews," introduced to search results a year ago. These Overviews display comprehensive AI-generated summaries of results above traditional website links and ads. "The future of advertising fueled by AI isn't coming -- it's already here," stated Vidhya Srinivasan, Google's vice president of Ads & Commerce. "We're reimagining the future of ads and shopping: Ads that don't interrupt, but help customers discover a product or service." Google is extending ads in AI Overviews to desktop in the US, following successful mobile implementations. More than 1.5 billion users see AI Overviews monthly, according to the company. "Google's doing very good job of adapting," Beharry Lall said. "The move right now is to experiment and to gain traction, just as they have." Google's aggressive push into generative AI intensifies its competition with OpenAI's ChatGPT, which added search engine capabilities to its popular chatbot. AI ad tools too Google announced it is making AI tools available to streamline the creation of online ads, mirroring similar initiatives by Facebook-owner Meta, Google's primary rival in online advertising. New features, available in the United States, will enable merchants to leverage AI for effective marketing campaigns and to "power an algorithm capable of targeting new searches and generating additional conversions," Google said. "AI helps a lot in advertising as far as targeting customers more precisely," Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi told AFP. Google should have opportunities to charge for AI tools for ad campaigns, and even for insights from data the tech firm has about its users' lives. "When you have AI agents doing things for you, those agents are going to need data," Milanesi said. "To get access to that data, you're going to have to pay." For example, Google knowing the kinds of restaurants or places someone has searched for online would have value for targeting ads, she said. Making money from AI tools and data could help Google diversify revenue sources at a time when its ad business is under pressure from regulators, according to Milanesi. "There could be entirely new business models around how a brand connects into those AI results," said Beharry Lall. "In the long run, it's going to be additive and beneficial to Google." How Google and other platforms make clear the difference between paid messaging and organic results generated by AI "is going to be the $64 million question," Beharry Lall said. "It'll be incumbent on regulatory bodies to develop guidelines," the analyst said.

Ads pressured to evolve as AI changes Google search

San Francisco (AFP) - As Google races to lead in artificial intelligence, it faces the challenge of making sure the technology doesn't slow its profit-pumping advertising engine. The internet giant is dabbling with ads in its new AI Mode for online search, a strategic move to fend off competition from ChatGPT while adapting its advertising business for an AI age. "There's no question that AI is becoming more commonplace as a source for answers," IDC advertising and marketing technology research director Roger Beharry Lall told AFP. "That will inevitably result in a shift in terms of search and the opportunities to promote a brand." The integration of advertising has been a key question accompanying the rise of generative AI chatbots, which have largely avoided interrupting the user experience with marketing messages. However, advertising remains Google's financial bedrock, accounting for more than two-thirds of its revenue. "Google certainly needs to find a way to monetize AI search in the way that it has monetized its past versions of search," Techsponential analyst Avi Greengart told AFP at the tech giant's annual developers conference this week. AI-fueled ads A new AI Mode enables conversational interaction with Google during search queries, providing answers in diverse formats, such as video, audio or graphs. The internet giant said it is testing integrating ads into AI Mode responses, building on insights gained from AI-generated summaries, or "Overviews," introduced to search results a year ago. These Overviews display comprehensive AI-generated summaries of results above traditional website links and ads. "The future of advertising fueled by AI isn't coming -- it's already here," stated Vidhya Srinivasan, Google's vice president of Ads & Commerce. "We're reimagining the future of ads and shopping: Ads that don't interrupt, but help customers discover a product or service." Google is extending ads in AI Overviews to desktop in the US, following successful mobile implementations. More than 1.5 billion users see AI Overviews monthly, according to the company. "Google's doing very good job of adapting," Beharry Lall said. "The move right now is to experiment and to gain traction, just as they have." Google's aggressive push into generative AI intensifies its competition with OpenAI's ChatGPT, which added search engine capabilities to its popular chatbot. AI ad tools too Google announced it is making AI tools available to streamline the creation of online ads, mirroring similar initiatives by Facebook-owner Meta, Google's primary rival in online advertising. New features, available in the United States, will enable merchants to leverage AI for effective marketing campaigns and to "power an algorithm capable of targeting new searches and generating additional conversions," Google said. "AI helps a lot in advertising as far as targeting customers more precisely," Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi told AFP. Google should have opportunities to charge for AI tools for ad campaigns, and even for insights from data the tech firm has about its users' lives. "When you have AI agents doing things for you, those agents are going to need data," Milanesi said. "To get access to that data, you're going to have to pay." For example, Google knowing the kinds of restaurants or places someone has searched for online would have value for targeting ads, she said. Making money from AI tools and data could help Google diversify revenue sources at a time when its ad business is under pressure from regulators, according to Milanesi. "There could be entirely new business models around how a brand connects into those AI results," said Beharry Lall. "In the long run, it's going to be additive and beneficial to Google." How Google and other platforms make clear the difference between paid messaging and organic results generated by AI "is going to be the $64 million question," Beharry Lall said. "It'll be incumbent on regulatory bodies to develop guidelines," the analyst said.

Google's AI just got ad-ified

Google announced plans to integrate advertisements into AI Mode, its AI-powered search experience, marking a significant step in the company's strategy to monetize its AI advancements. Ads may appear "where relevant" below and "integrated into" AI Mode responses during a test phase, according to Google. AI Mode allows users to pose questions and receive AI-generated responses, with the option to explore further through follow-up questions and links to websites. "In some cases, a website builder might be a good next step [in an AI Mode query], so we may show a helpful ad that can help [users] get started," Google explained in a blog post. "From there, [the user] can ask questions to explore possible business ideas, what type of content they should develop, and even learn about their target audience." Given that advertising represents Google's primary revenue stream -- the company reported $66.89 billion in ad revenue in Q1 2025 -- the integration of ads into AI Mode was anticipated. However, consumer sentiment regarding AI and advertising remains cautious. A recent CivicScience poll revealed that 36% of U.S. adults express apprehension about AI in advertising, indicating a potential reluctance to purchase from brands utilizing AI in their ads. Advertisers currently using Google's Performance Max, Shopping, and Search campaigns with "broad match" will be eligible to have their ads displayed within AI Mode. Initially, users in the U.S. will see Search and Shopping ads in AI Mode across both desktop and mobile platforms. Google's ad empire expands into AI chat Several competitors are also exploring advertising within their AI products. AI-powered search engine Perplexity launched ads in November and has not dismissed the possibility of collecting data beyond its platform to facilitate more targeted advertising. Microsoft previously conducted a brief pilot program for ads in its Copilot chatbot, and OpenAI has indicated it may adopt an ad-supported model to complement subscription services. Separately, Google announced an expansion of ads within AI Overviews, its Google Search feature that automatically synthesizes and summarizes answers to queries. Search and Shopping ads will soon appear on desktop in the U.S., with plans to extend to "select countries" on both mobile and desktop in English. These ads are inserted into AI-generated summaries "when relevant to both the query and the response provided" and are clearly labeled as "Sponsored," according to Google.

Ads pressured to evolve as AI changes Google search

The integration of advertising has been a key question accompanying the rise of generative AI chatbots, which have largely avoided interrupting the user experience with marketing messages. However, advertising remains Google's financial bedrock, accounting for more than two-thirds of its revenue. Google is extending ads in AI Overviews to desktop in the US, following successful mobile implementations.As Google races to lead in artificial intelligence, it faces the challenge of making sure the technology doesn't slow its profit-pumping advertising engine. The internet giant is dabbling with ads in its new AI Mode for online search, a strategic move to fend off competition from ChatGPT while adapting its advertising business for an AI age. "There's no question that AI is becoming more commonplace as a source for answers," IDC advertising and marketing technology research director Roger Beharry Lall told AFP. "That will inevitably result in a shift in terms of search and the opportunities to promote a brand." The integration of advertising has been a key question accompanying the rise of generative AI chatbots, which have largely avoided interrupting the user experience with marketing messages. However, advertising remains Google's financial bedrock, accounting for more than two-thirds of its revenue. "Google certainly needs to find a way to monetize AI search in the way that it has monetized its past versions of search," Techsponential analyst Avi Greengart told AFP at the tech giant's annual developers conference this week. AI-fueled ads A new AI Mode enables conversational interaction with Google during search queries, providing answers in diverse formats, such as video, audio or graphs. The internet giant said it is testing integrating ads into AI Mode responses, building on insights gained from AI-generated summaries, or "Overviews," introduced to search results a year ago. These Overviews display comprehensive AI-generated summaries of results above traditional website links and ads. "The future of advertising fueled by AI isn't coming - it's already here," stated Vidhya Srinivasan, Google's vice president of Ads & Commerce. "We're reimagining the future of ads and shopping: Ads that don't interrupt, but help customers discover a product or service." Google is extending ads in AI Overviews to desktop in the US, following successful mobile implementations. More than 1.5 billion users see AI Overviews monthly, according to the company. "Google's doing very good job of adapting," Beharry Lall said. "The move right now is to experiment and to gain traction, just as they have." Google's aggressive push into generative AI intensifies its competition with OpenAI's ChatGPT, which added search engine capabilities to its popular chatbot. AI ad tools too Google announced it is making AI tools available to streamline the creation of online ads, mirroring similar initiatives by Facebook-owner Meta, Google's primary rival in online advertising. New features, available in the United States, will enable merchants to leverage AI for effective marketing campaigns and to "power an algorithm capable of targeting new searches and generating additional conversions," Google said. "AI helps a lot in advertising as far as targeting customers more precisely," Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi told AFP. Google should have opportunities to charge for AI tools for ad campaigns, and even for insights from data the tech firm has about its users' lives. "When you have AI agents doing things for you, those agents are going to need data," Milanesi said. "To get access to that data, you're going to have to pay." For example, Google knowing the kinds of restaurants or places someone has searched for online would have value for targeting ads, she said. Making money from AI tools and data could help Google diversify revenue sources at a time when its ad business is under pressure from regulators, according to Milanesi. "There could be entirely new business models around how a brand connects into those AI results," said Beharry Lall. "In the long run, it's going to be additive and beneficial to Google." How Google and other platforms make clear the difference between paid messaging and organic results generated by AI "is going to be the $64 million question," Beharry Lall said. "It'll be incumbent on regulatory bodies to develop guidelines," the analyst said.