Google "AI Mode" Ads Are Live. Here is How to Start.
The one thing you need to know in AI today | AI Ready CMO
Yesterday we told you the news about OpenAI’s Shopping Research feature is important but not urgent.
Today’s news is different: it is immediately actionable and you have to make sure you are ready.
Google has quietly begun rolling out ads in AI Mode, confirming a Q4 timeline that was teased back in August. While everyone has been distracted trying to reverse-engineer how to get recommended by ChatGPT’s organic algorithms, Google has done what Google does best: built a toll booth. For the first time, you don’t have to hope the AI “likes” your brand enough to recommend it. You can just buy the slot. (Sort of… we’ll get to the details in a second.)
But first, a quick vocabulary recap, because Google loves to make naming things complicated:
There is AI Overview, which is that summary box you see at the top of standard search results.
Then there is AI Mode, which is their deeper, conversational interface designed for complex, multi-step reasoning.
The news today is specifically about the latter. Using a technique Google calls “query fan-out,” AI Mode breaks down complex questions (like “how to fix a leaky faucet”) into multiple sub-topics. And now, it inserts paid recommendations directly into that reasoning chain.
Right now, the implementation is subtle. Users are reporting that these ads currently appear at the very bottom of the response, particularly for local services like plumbers or HVAC repair. It’s not driving a firehose of traffic yet, but it is a big deal: this is the first time you can pay to influence the result of an AI’s “thought process” rather than just bidding on the keyword that started it.
You cannot buy a specific placement in AI Mode directly. Instead, Google uses its automated campaign infrastructure to map your products to the conversation. To be eligible, you must be using AI Max for Search (currently in beta), Performance Max, or Shopping campaigns. Unlike the true “black box” of ChatGPT or Perplexity—where you have to pray your SEO (pardon, “Answer Engine Optimization,” AEO) strategy works—Google’s system is explicit. You provide the budget, the assets, and the goal; their automation handles the matching.
Notice the fundamental impact on your content strategy here.
Google is betting that the fundamental unit of search economics shift from the “query” to the “conversation.” Users will stop searching for “kitchen tiles” and start asking “how to renovate a small kitchen with a modern farmhouse vibe on a budget”. More context, more signal, better inputs to do algorithmic magic.
But you also need to provide your signal to make sure that a match can be made. That’s why Google is calling out feed hygiene so explicitly in their internal documents. Your shopping feed needs to be current, detailed, and semantically rich. The AI isn’t matching exact terms anymore—it’s understanding what your product does, who it’s for, and what problem it solves. If your product data is thin, the system has nothing to work with.
We’d advise to jump on this opportunity this week, either by testing it straight away or reviewing your content bank and pipeline.
If you’re thinking “I’ll wait and see”—remember, early data advantages compound. By the time this becomes a major traffic driver, you want months of optimization behind you, not a scramble to figure out eligibility.
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