Google is taking its AI Search ads global. On October 28, 2026, the company announced that ads in AI Mode are now live in 10 new countries, including India, with Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom queued up for Q4 2026. The expansion comes alongside Alphabet’s Q3 2026 earnings, where revenue grew 25 percent year over year to $127.6 billion while core search ad growth slowed.
This post covers which countries got ads, what Google says about performance so far, what the Q3 numbers say about the search business, and how marketers should adjust.
Where AI Mode Ads Are Live Now
Ads in AI Mode are now scaling in these 10 markets, announced by Shashi Thakur, VP and GM of Google Search Ads:
- Australia
- Canada
- India
- Kenya
- Malaysia
- New Zealand
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- The Philippines
- Singapore
In Q4 2026, Google plans to expand to additional locales, including Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom. In the United States, Google is also launching multiturn ads, which allow ads to appear in follow-up queries within an AI Mode conversation. All ads are clearly labelled as “Sponsored.”
What Google Says About Ad Performance in AI Mode
Google’s pitch is that AI Mode changes the shape of the query, and that ads fit the new format. The company’s research claims people are comfortable with ads in AI Mode and find them highly relevant. Two data points back the pitch:
- Queries are three times longer. In AI Mode, queries are, on average, three times longer than traditional searches, according to Google’s AI Mode Report (US, May 2026). Longer queries mean more context for matching a business to a need.
- Click-through rates are holding. Google internal data from August 20 to September 3, 2026 shows click-through rates already similar between sponsored and organic product list items within AI Mode.
CEO Sundar Pichai added colour on the Q3 earnings call. Search queries grew at their fastest year-over-year rate in five years, he said, crediting AI features with changing how people search. One in five AI Mode searches globally involves voice, images or documents, and Google now handles more than 50 billion visual searches a month. “People are using our AI features more, searching in entirely new ways,” Pichai told investors. “Their queries are longer, personalized, and multimodal.”
The Business Context: Why Now
The expansion lands as Alphabet’s numbers show both sides of the AI shift:
- Total revenue: $127.6 billion in Q3 2026, up 25 percent year over year
- Google Services (including Search): $96.3 billion, up 11 percent year over year
- Google Cloud: $30.7 billion, up 103 percent year over year
Search and advertising remain the profit engine, but 11 percent growth from Google Services is slower than the cloud business. TechCrunch frames the move exactly that way: Google is betting that generative AI opens new revenue opportunities even as growth in its core search advertising business slows. Ads inside AI Mode are the clearest attempt yet to make the new search surface monetise like the old one.
There is also a competitive angle. As AI chatbots from OpenAI, Meta and others pull question-style queries away from the classic results page, Google needs those conversations to stay inside Search where it can monetise them. Longer queries and follow-up sessions are a chance to show more, better-matched ads per search than a single keyword ever allowed.
What Marketers Should Do Now
- Rebuild keyword lists for conversational queries. AI Mode prompts run about three times longer than classic searches. Mine your Search Console query reports for the long, question-shaped queries you already rank for and build ad groups around that phrasing.
- Keep product feeds impeccable. Sponsored product list items sit next to organic ones and get similar click-through rates, so feed quality, price and images decide who wins the click.
- Prepare for multiturn. Follow-up queries are where multiturn ads will appear first in the US. Think about the second and third question a buyer asks, not just the first.
- Watch your reporting mix. As AI Mode sessions grow, branded and generic clicks will shift. Track impression share and click-through rate for AI surfaces separately where possible.
- Test in India early. India is in the first wave. If you run campaigns here, you can gather AI Mode performance data months before your competitors in markets that only get access in Q4.
Background: What AI Mode Means for Search
AI Mode is Google’s chat-style search experience, where users ask longer, follow-up questions and get AI-written answers with links. It is the fastest-changing surface Google has shipped in years, and the ad rollout shows it is now a business priority. The format behaves differently from the classic results page in ways that matter for advertisers:
- Longer sessions. Because people ask follow-ups, one search session can contain several intent-rich moments instead of a single query.
- Richer answers. The AI response includes comparisons and recommendations, so being the cited source matters as much as being the ad.
- Multimodal input. With one in five AI Mode searches globally involving voice, images or documents, image quality and structured product data matter more than ever.
For businesses that depend on organic search, the same shift applies. Content that answers specific, multi-part questions clearly is more likely to get surfaced inside AI answers, so SEO and ads are converging on the same skill: matching detailed user intent quickly.
What to Expect Next
Google says it will keep testing new formats to keep ads helpful and relevant, and the Q4 wave of markets is already scheduled. For Indian advertisers, the practical reality is that AI Mode ad data will start showing up in account reports now, weeks before most global competitors see it. Treat the next quarter as a live learning window: the query strings, the conversion paths and the feed gaps you find now will shape how you allocate budget when multiturn ads and the Q4 markets arrive.
FAQ
Which countries have Google AI Mode ads now?
Ads in AI Mode are live in Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Singapore. Google plans to add Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom in Q4 2026.
What are multiturn ads in AI Mode?
Multiturn ads can appear in follow-up queries within an AI Mode conversation. Google is launching them first in the United States, so ads can show when a user asks a second or third related question.
Do ads in AI Mode affect click-through rates?
Google says click-through rates are already similar between sponsored and organic product list items within AI Mode, based on internal US data from August 20 to September 3, 2026. Independent third-party audits are still limited.
Why is Google expanding AI Mode ads now?
Alphabet’s Q3 2026 results showed revenue up 25 percent to $127.6 billion, but its Google Services division grew 11 percent while Google Cloud grew 103 percent. Ads in AI Mode are Google’s way of turning longer, AI-driven searches into revenue as core search ad growth slows.
How do I advertise in AI Mode?
Existing Google Search and Shopping campaigns are eligible to show in AI Mode as Google scales the format. Optimise for long conversational queries and keep product feeds up to date. Check Google’s Ads Help Center for format specifics as rollout continues.
