By Michael Delpierre, CEO, Conversion Pipeline Published October 27, 2026.
Yes, ads are running inside Google AI Mode in the U.S., and there's no special campaign to build. Google pulls them from campaigns you may already have: Performance Max, Shopping, Search with broad match and Smart Bidding, and Search with AI Max. Since early September 2026, Google has also been testing exact and phrase match keywords in AI Mode for searches with clear, direct intent. You can't opt out, and there's no separate AI Mode report.
We get this question from almost every paid search client now, usually phrased as "do we need to do something for AI Mode?" For most of them, the short answer is no, not yet. The longer answer depends on what kind of campaigns you run and how much you trust your conversion data.
AI Mode is not the same thing as AI Overviews
People mix these up constantly, so here's the difference. AI Overviews are the summaries at the top of a regular results page. AI Mode is the separate, chat-style search where people ask long questions and keep following up. Google handles them separately. Its help page on ads in AI Overviews covers the first, and its Ads in AI Mode page describes new AI Mode formats that are "powered by AI Max and Performance Max" and still in testing.
We covered the organic side in Google AI Mode: What It Means for Organic Traffic, and the click data in our write-up of the first randomized AI Overviews study. This post is about paid ads.
How ads get into AI Mode today
Before September, the trade press agreed on four routes in. Blackfire Marketing's summary lays them out well:
- Performance Max
- Shopping campaigns
- Search campaigns using broad match with Smart Bidding
- Search campaigns with AI Max turned on
In AI Mode, Google reads the full back-and-forth to decide which ad fits, not one isolated query. That's why the automated campaign types got in first. Picture a homeowner asking AI Mode, "what's the best way to waterproof a basement with clay soil, and what should I budget?" Nobody bids on that as a keyword. A system that reads intent across the conversation can still match an ad to it.
The exact and phrase match test
On September 4, Google's Ads Liaison, Ginny Marvin, confirmed to Search Engine Roundtable that a "small experiment" was running. In her words: "Exact and phrase match keywords are eligible to serve text ads in AI Mode. Note however that this is limited to cases where there is explicit and direct user intent."
Search Engine Land noted that Google hasn't said how wide the test is or whether it will stay. The advertiser who first spotted it, Anthony Higman, argued it matters more than "small" suggests, because tightly controlled match types had no way into AI Mode before.
Vehicle Ads for dealers
Dealers running Vehicle Ads are already eligible. PureCars reported in September that Vehicle Ads can show in AI Mode automatically, with no extra setup and no separate reporting so far. That puts even more weight on the quality of your inventory feed.
Direct Offers, a new beta asset
On October 7, PPC News Feed found a Direct offer asset in Google Ads marked beta. You set an incentive, upload single-use promo codes and cap how many can be claimed per day. In AI Mode it shows up as a "Claim one-time code" bar under a sponsored result. The setup screen says offers only serve on campaigns using AI Max or text customization. We're treating it as a test feature for now.
What you can't do yet
- Target AI Mode on its own. Eligibility comes from the campaign types above.
- Opt out of AI Mode separately if a campaign is eligible.
- See AI Mode performance by itself. Results blend into your normal campaign and keyword numbers. Google says the same about ads in AI Overviews: they're reported as top ads with no separate segment.
That last one is what bothers us. If an exact match keyword's numbers shift this fall, you won't be able to tell whether AI Mode traffic got mixed in. That's a big reason we push clients to take a baseline now.
Don't rebuild campaigns to chase AI Mode. Make sure the campaigns you already run are feeding Google clean conversion data, because every route into AI Mode is automated and learns from what you count.
Should you change anything? It depends on your business
Home services and local lead gen
Leave exact and phrase match campaigns alone if they're working. If Google's test sticks, they may reach AI Mode without any changes. If you already run AI Max or broad match with Smart Bidding, you're eligible today, so make sure what feeds it is clean. Our AI Max audit checklist walks through that. Home service companies running Local Services Ads alongside Search should also read our posts on LSA missed-call charges and the LSA move to Performance Max.
Auto dealers
Your biggest lever is the vehicle feed. Accurate prices, trims, photos and availability. Vehicle Ads are already in.
Plastic surgery and medical
Expect limits. Google's AI Overviews ads page says it doesn't currently show ads there for sensitive categories, including healthcare and finance. Google hasn't published the same list for AI Mode, so we plan as if the same caution applies until it says otherwise. Our plastic surgery marketing clients are focusing on organic visibility and clean call tracking in the meantime.
B2B
Long comparison questions are exactly what AI Mode is built for. If you already run Performance Max or AI Max with good offline conversion data from your CRM, you're in a good spot. If you don't, fix the data first. Our guide to connecting HubSpot to Google Ads shows how, and offline conversion tracking explains why it matters for bidding.
What we'd do this month
- Take a baseline. Export 90 days of results by campaign and keyword: cost per lead, conversion rate and, if you have them, booked jobs or revenue. When AI Mode traffic grows, you'll want a clean before.
- Read search terms every week on any AI Max or broad match campaign.
- Check the conversion data. Start with call tracking and your GA4 setup. If those count junk, every automated route will chase junk.
- Build landing pages that answer long questions. People arrive from AI Mode after a conversation. Pages with price ranges, service areas and an obvious next step convert them better. That's conversion rate optimization, not ad work.
- Keep organic in the plan. Paying for ads doesn't get you cited inside the AI answer. Citations come from content Google trusts, which is what AEO and GEO inside an SEO program are for.
Find out if your campaigns are AI Mode ready
We'll check which of your campaigns are eligible for AI Mode today, whether your conversion data is good enough to trust the automated routes, and where budget is leaking. The PPC audit is free.
Frequently asked questions
Are there ads in Google AI Mode?
Yes, in the U.S. Ads appear in AI Mode from eligible campaigns and are labeled as sponsored. Google is also testing new AI Mode ad formats powered by AI Max and Performance Max.
Which Google Ads campaigns can show in AI Mode?
Performance Max, Shopping, Search campaigns using broad match with Smart Bidding, and Search campaigns with AI Max. Since September 2026, Google has also been testing exact and phrase match keywords for searches with explicit and direct intent.
Can exact match keywords show ads in AI Mode?
In a small Google experiment confirmed in September 2026, yes, but only where Google sees explicit and direct user intent. Google hasn't said how wide the test is or whether it will be permanent.
Can I see how my ads perform in AI Mode?
Not separately. AI Mode results are blended into your normal campaign reporting, and Google offers no AI Mode segment and no way to opt out.
What is the Direct Offer asset in Google Ads?
It's a beta asset that lets advertisers offer an incentive, such as a single-use promo code, shown as a "Claim one-time code" bar under a sponsored result in AI Mode. It only serves on campaigns using AI Max or text customization.
About the author
Michael Delpierre is CEO of Conversion Pipeline, a digital marketing agency he founded in 2009 with offices in Fairfax, Virginia and Nashville, Tennessee. The agency has been a Google Partner since 2012, and Michael works on paid search, SEO, HubSpot and CRM strategy for home services, medical, B2B and professional services clients.
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