On Oct. 28, 2026, Google said it is scaling ads in AI Mode—its conversational Search experience—to 10 new countries, including India, while launching multiturn ads in the United States so sponsored results can appear in follow-up questions. The product news landed the same day Alphabet reported third-quarter earnings, with executives framing AI-powered Search as both a usage shift and a new monetization surface as growth in core Search advertising cools.
Key facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Announcement | Oct. 28, 2026 — Google blog post by Shashi Thakur; tied to Alphabet Q3 earnings (TechCrunch) |
| New AI Mode ad markets | Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore |
| Planned Q4 2026 | Additional locales including Brazil, Mexico, United Kingdom |
| U.S. only (new) | Multiturn ads — ads in follow-up queries in AI Mode |
| Labeling | Ads marked “Sponsored”; Google continues testing new formats |
| Query behavior | AI Mode queries average three times longer than traditional searches (Google) |
What Google announced
In a post titled Ads in AI Mode expand to new markets., Google's Shashi Thakur, VP and GM of Google Search Ads and Ads on Google Experiences, said the company is bringing ads in AI Mode to new countries as search becomes more conversational. Google cites its own research that people are comfortable with ads in AI Mode and find them highly relevant, and points to internal data showing click-through rates already similar between sponsored and organic product list items within AI Mode.
The same day, on Alphabet's earnings call, Chief Business Officer Philipp Schindler told investors: “We are now scaling high-quality ads within AI overviews in AI mode to more users and queries,” adding that Google is “taking our monetization footprint global for the first time” with the international AI Mode expansion and U.S. multiturn ads, according to TechCrunch.
Which countries—and when
Google is scaling ads in AI Mode now in Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Singapore. In Q4 2026, it plans to expand to more locales, including Brazil, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.
For readers in India, AI Mode can now surface clearly labeled Sponsored placements alongside organic answers when Google matches advertisers to conversational intent. Google's Oct. 28 post does not describe India-only formats or campaign toggles.
What multiturn ads are
Google is now launching multiturn ads in the U.S. specifically to allow ads in follow-up queries—so a shopper who asks a clarifying question in the same AI Mode thread may see sponsored listings on that second or third turn, not only the first. Google did not publish pricing or format specs for multiturn units on Oct. 28; it said it will continue testing new formats to keep ads helpful and relevant.
How ads in AI Mode work for users and advertisers
Google's Oct. 28 post emphasizes matching: AI helps Google better understand what people are looking for, connecting them to businesses that fit conversational queries that are, on average, three times longer than traditional searches (per Google's AI Mode report, U.S., May 2026). Sponsored product list items sit in that flow with disclosure—every ad is labeled “Sponsored.”
On the earnings call, Schindler said click-through rates for sponsored product listings in AI Mode are already comparable to organic listings, and that user research shows people find the ads relevant, TechCrunch reported. The move builds on Google's May announcement of Gemini-powered ad formats, including conversational discovery ads and sponsored recommendations inside AI-generated answers, according to TechCrunch.
CEO Sundar Pichai said Search queries grew at their fastest year-over-year rate in five years, that AI Mode queries are three times longer on average, and that one in five AI Mode searches globally involves voice, images, or documents, per TechCrunch. Google also surpassed 50 billion visual searches per month.
Why it matters
Analysis. Alphabet's Q3 numbers show why Google is pushing now. TechCrunch reported $127.6 billion in revenue, up 25% year over year, but Google Search revenue growth slowed to 12% year over year in the third quarter, from 17% in Q2 and 19% in Q1. Shares fell 8% after results, putting pressure on Google to prove AI features can replace slowing core Search ad momentum. Google Services revenue hit $96.3 billion (up 11%), while Google Cloud surged 103% to $30.7 billion—a reminder that ads still anchor the P&L even as capital shifts to infrastructure.
Product-wise, AI Mode is becoming an ad platform in the same month OpenAI rolled visual ads into ChatGPT—see our coverage of OpenAI Adds Visual ChatGPT Ads as Weekly Users Hit 1.2 Billion. The parallel is blunt: assistants that answer questions are also auctioning attention. Google's edge is inventory scale and existing advertiser relationships; the risk is user trust if sponsored cards blur into Gemini-written answers.
The launch sits in a busy Google AI week—compare Google Unveils Gemini 4 Carbon for Cyber Defenders First.
What to watch
Track Q4 rollouts in Brazil, Mexico, and the UK, and whether multiturn ads expand beyond the U.S. Advertisers should monitor AI Mode performance separately from classic Search and watch Google's tests of new formats. On earnings, investors will look for proof that global AI Mode monetization lifts Search growth without triggering regulatory scrutiny over ad labeling in generative answers.