Google is expanding advertising inside its AI-powered Search experiences to 10 additional countries, including India, as the company looks for new ways to generate revenue from conversational search. Announced on October 28, 2026, the expansion brings ads to AI Mode in Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Singapore. Google also plans to expand into additional markets, including Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom, in the fourth quarter of 2026.
The announcement comes as Google’s core Search advertising growth slows despite rising use of its artificial intelligence features. Search and other revenue increased 12% year over year to $63.35 billion in the third quarter, compared with 17% growth in the second quarter and 19% in the first. Google believes conversational AI can create new opportunities for businesses to reach customers, but it must demonstrate that ads embedded in AI-generated experiences can deliver meaningful revenue without undermining user trust.
Key Takeaways
- Global expansion: Google is expanding ads in AI Mode to 10 additional countries, including India.
- Slower Search growth: Google Search and other revenue grew 12% year over year to $63.35 billion in Q3 2026.
- New advertising formats: Ads can appear within AI-generated Search experiences, while multi-turn ads are launching in the United States.
- Longer queries: Google says AI Mode queries are three times longer on average than traditional searches.
- Business opportunity: Conversational searches may reveal commercial intent that conventional keyword-based advertising does not fully capture.
- Competition and monetization: Google needs to turn growing AI usage into advertising revenue while competing with new ways consumers discover products and services.
Which Countries Are Getting Ads in AI Mode?
Google announced that it is scaling ads in AI Mode across 10 additional markets. The expansion extends its AI advertising strategy beyond its earlier rollout in the United States.
| Market | Countries included |
|---|---|
| Asia-Pacific | Australia, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore |
| North America | Canada |
| Africa | Kenya, Nigeria |
| Planned Q4 2026 expansion | Brazil, Mexico, United Kingdom |
Source: Google’s Ads and Commerce announcement.
The rollout matters for advertisers because AI Mode is designed for longer, more conversational interactions rather than just a single search query. A user might ask for product comparisons, explain a specific problem and then refine the request through follow-up questions. Advertising can appear when those interactions have commercial relevance.
Google says ads will be clearly labeled as “Sponsored” and visually distinguished from organic content. The company says it will continue testing different formats to make advertising relevant to the question being asked.
The announcement does not mean every advertiser will automatically receive identical placements in every country. Availability can depend on campaign eligibility, language, market rollout and the type of query.
How Ads Work Inside Google’s AI Search
Google Search now includes several AI-powered experiences. AI Overviews provide AI-generated summaries alongside conventional search results, while AI Mode offers a more conversational interface for complex questions and follow-up interactions.
Ads can appear within or alongside these experiences when Google’s advertising systems identify a relevant commercial opportunity.
For example, a person researching ways to clean a swimming pool might receive an AI-generated explanation and sponsored recommendations for suitable equipment. Someone comparing laptops could see sponsored product listings related to the features they have requested.
Google says its systems can match ads directly to a query or contextually to the query and AI response. The goal is to connect businesses with people whose needs may become clearer as a conversation develops.
Advertisers generally do not need to create a separate campaign exclusively for AI Mode. Eligible Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns can participate through Google’s existing advertising systems, subject to the applicable targeting and placement rules.
This could make the transition easier for businesses already advertising on Google. However, it also means advertisers need to understand how existing campaign settings affect eligibility for placements in AI-generated experiences.
Why Google’s Search Advertising Growth Is Slowing
Google’s AI expansion comes at a critical time for its advertising business. Although Search revenue is still growing, its year-over-year growth rate declined over the first three quarters of 2026.
| Metric | Q1 2026 | Q2 2026 | Q3 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Search and other revenue growth | 19% | 17% | 12% |
| Google Search and other revenue in Q3 | — | — | $63.35 billion |
Source: Alphabet’s Q3 2026 financial results.
The slowdown does not mean Google’s Search advertising business is shrinking. Revenue increased compared with the previous year, but it grew more slowly than in earlier quarters.
During Alphabet’s third-quarter earnings discussion, Google executives identified several factors affecting growth. Currency movements were the largest contributor to the slowdown relative to the previous quarter, while retail advertising conditions and the normalization of media and entertainment spending also played a role.
Executives additionally acknowledged that AI Mode’s growing usage had affected monetization because advertising revenue from the experience was lower relative to its usage.
This creates a strategic challenge. Google is encouraging people to use AI for more searches, but the company must ensure that these interactions generate sufficient commercial value to sustain its advertising business.
Can AI Search Create a New Advertising Market?
Google’s argument is that conversational search provides more context about what a person wants. A traditional query such as “running shoes” offers limited information, while a longer request could specify distance, terrain, budget and comfort requirements.
AI systems can use that context to identify more relevant products and services. In theory, this could help advertisers reach users who are closer to making a purchase or who need guidance before deciding what to buy.
Google reported that AI Mode queries are three times longer on average than traditional searches. The company also said one in five AI Mode searches globally involves voice, images or documents, highlighting the increasingly multimodal nature of Search.
Google says early results are encouraging: click-through rates for sponsored product listings in AI Mode were comparable to those of organic product listings, based on the company’s own measurements. However, click-through rates alone do not establish whether the new formats improve conversions, profitability or advertiser return on investment.
The longer-term test will be whether businesses see measurable results from these placements and whether users continue to find the ads helpful.
Multi-Turn Ads Expand the Opportunity in the United States
Alongside the international expansion, Google is introducing multi-turn ads in AI Mode in the United States. These placements allow advertising to appear during follow-up questions within a continuing search interaction.
This is a meaningful change from advertising that relies primarily on a single search query. A person might begin by researching a product category, narrow the choices according to personal requirements and then ask about availability or pricing. Each step may reveal a different commercial need.
Multi-turn advertising could give businesses additional opportunities to appear during this decision-making process. It also creates questions about repetition and relevance: ads must remain useful as the conversation evolves rather than interrupting the user with unrelated promotions.
Google says ads will remain clearly identified as sponsored content. Its advertising documentation also states that paid placements do not influence the organic responses generated by Google’s AI.
For marketers, the change makes campaign relevance and landing-page quality increasingly important. A generic advertisement may be less useful when an AI conversation has already established detailed preferences.
What the Expansion Means for Indian Advertisers
India is among the 10 countries included in the new rollout, creating an additional opportunity for eligible advertisers to reach users within AI Mode.
Businesses selling electronics, travel services, consumer products, financial services and other commercial offerings may benefit when their products match a user’s conversational search. However, actual performance will depend on the available placements, campaign eligibility, targeting settings and language support.
Advertisers should review existing Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns, monitor placement performance where reporting is available and ensure their product information and landing pages answer specific customer needs.
They should also avoid assuming that an AI Mode placement automatically produces more sales. Businesses will need to compare conversions, acquisition costs and revenue against their existing campaigns as sufficient data becomes available.
For smaller companies, the advantage could be access to customers asking highly specific questions. The challenge will be competing for attention and ensuring that advertising remains relevant in a search experience where AI-generated answers occupy a prominent role.
The Bigger Picture
Google’s expansion shows how the company is adapting its largest advertising business to a changing search environment. AI-powered interfaces can encourage more detailed queries and support product discovery, but they also change where users encounter information and how advertisers reach them.
The strategy is not simply about inserting more ads into Search. It is about creating advertising opportunities within conversations while maintaining the usefulness that encourages people to keep using the product. Google must balance commercial relevance with user experience, particularly as AI-generated answers become a larger part of how people research and compare products.
The expansion also signals that AI search monetization is becoming a competitive priority for the technology industry. Google has the advantage of an established advertising marketplace and a large base of advertisers, but it will still need to demonstrate that its new formats can produce sustainable results.
FAQs
1. What did Google announce on October 28, 2026?
Google announced that ads in AI Mode would expand to 10 additional countries, including India, Australia, Canada, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Singapore. The company also announced multi-turn ads in the United States.
2. Why is Google expanding advertising in AI Search?
Google wants to monetize the growing use of AI-powered search experiences. Longer, conversational queries can reveal more information about users’ needs and create additional opportunities for relevant product and service recommendations.
3. Is Google’s Search advertising revenue declining?
No. Google Search and other revenue grew 12% year over year to $63.35 billion in Q3 2026. The concern is that the growth rate has slowed from 19% in Q1 and 17% in Q2.
4. Do advertisers need separate campaigns for AI Mode?
Google says eligible existing Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns can participate in AI-powered Search placements through its advertising systems. Eligibility depends on campaign settings, query relevance and applicable market and language availability.
5. Will AI Search ads improve advertising performance?
They may help advertisers reach users with more specific needs, but the outcome is not guaranteed. Businesses should evaluate conversions, cost per acquisition and return on advertising spend rather than relying only on clicks or impressions.
Looking Ahead
Google plans to extend AI Mode advertising to additional markets in Q4 2026, including Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom. The expansion will provide more opportunities to test whether sponsored placements inside conversational search can generate meaningful results for advertisers and Google alike.
The key question is whether Google can convert increased AI Search engagement into sustainable advertising growth. If the new formats deliver relevant recommendations and strong commercial outcomes, they could become a more important part of its business. If monetization remains weak or users find the placements disruptive, Google will need to refine the experience while protecting the trust that underpins Search.
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