Now Live: The 5 Google AI Mode Ad Formats (And How They Work)

Ads have been showing within Google’s AI Mode since around the 19th of November 2025.

This is despite the announcement at Google Marketing Live in May, with testing apparently being in motion for months before the first discovery, though I’m using the November 2025 date as a key milestone in the rollout, as this was when they had clearly ramped up their appearance significantly. 

Google has since announced that various ad types would be rolling out, such as the Conversational Discovery Ads and Highlighted Answers in May of 2026, though many of these ad types have yet to be surfaced in a live environment. 

This article will be used as a running list of ad types that have actually surfaced within AI Mode for users, with there currently being 5 distinct types that can surface. Here is a list of those ad types and what is unique about them, alongside common FAQs about how ads in AI Mode operate.

1. Bottom Text-Based Ads (Stacked)

The most common ad type of all, and the one that appears most broadly across searcher intents and site types, is the stacked ads that surfaces at the end of the response.

A unique aspect regarding this ad type is that they are accompanied by highly descriptive titles for the unit that are related to the search query, making the integration of the ad block feel more native to the AI Mode experience.

The ads that appear within the text-based unit often show as stacked on top of each other with a grey boxed-in background, mimicking the display of the organic citations that show within the right-hand column on desktop.

This ad unit type is for non-product URLs, being a format that can apply to all site types, similar to how ads tend to appear within the main section of search results as either “top ads”, “middle ads”, or “bottom ads” (all being ad types tracked by SERP Lens).

2. Bottom Shopping Carousel Ads (Row)

Another common ad type, which is designed purely for eCommerce stores, is the bottom Shopping ad units that can show as engaging cards or within a carousel.

This ad unit type again appears only at the bottom of the AI Mode output, and is also accompanied by a detailed headline to make the user feel like the list of products is closely related to the search query.

Unlike the text-based ads, the Shopping carousel ads are for product URLs only, often referred to as PLAs (Product Listing Ads) within the main section of search results.

The ads that appear within the Shopping ads carousel show the product image, title, price, site name, and reviews. The review snippets and the images make the unit far more vibrant and engaging compared to other ad types.

3. In-Line Shopping Singular Ads (Product Mixing)

In-line ads within Google’s AI Mode are a format that was also essentially announced in May of 2026, with only variations of what was presented having surfaced since this announcement.

The first version of this ad format featured what looked like free listing results embedded within a list of products within the output. While the in-line Shopping ads (singular version) have a “sponsored” label attached to them, they blend heavily within the organic results of the output, giving them a much higher likelihood of being clicked by searchers. This is primarily due to their formatting mimicking the design of the results, both above and below the ad unit.

So far, the in-line ad format within AI Mode is only surfacing for eCommerce stores, only featuring links to the product URLs themselves. While the ads appear like free listings within the output, the function is quite different, in that if users click the ad URL, they are directed to the product URL (with ad parameters included in a 302 redirect). When clicking on surrounding free listing features, the standard panel overlay appears, allowing users to select among the options.

4. In-Line Shopping Ads (Non-Rich)

Another unusual in-line ad placement is the singular Shopping ad, that display as a non-rich result, often placed toward the top of the output.

This ad type shows only as a slim-line placement within the AI Mode output, likely because Google knows how it would look if this ad placement were given too much prominence within the generative output. The ad shows only the favicon, site name, price, and sometimes attributes such as Shipping policies.

There is also another slightly different variation of this same ad unit, where multiple ads can appear (the most I’ve seen is two) that show with a grey boxed-on shaded background for the grouped non-rich Shopping ads. Here’s how this can display within AI Mode:

5. Sponsored Product Grid Ads

The final ad type is the product grid ad that can show on top of the free listing results within a product grid, and can also show beyond AI Mode as a surface.

Within this AI Mode ad type, the most sponsored results that I’ve seen appear above the free listing results is four, with there commonly being a single ad that shows as the “sponsored store”, with the others (the free listings) showing as “all stores”.

Product grids, even outside of Google’s AI Mode, have been known to be purely organic-focused results. This has now changed dramatically, where it is almost by default that ads will display directly above the free listings (again, primarily in the US), if the retailer that ranks organically is also running Shopping ads for the product.

As you can see, the product grid ads display almost exactly the same as the organic results, even featuring additional attributes within AI Mode, such as the ‘trending brand’ label that can subtly make the ad appear more engaging compared to the free listing results.

What’s Next?

If Google is going to follow through with what was announced in May, ads within AI Mode are about to become even more widespread and more engaging within the output. And if Google is still sticking with their line that clicks within AI Mode are “higher quality” for organic results, then I would expect that a similar approach will be communicated to those who want to get their products and services appearing within AI Mode ads.

As mentioned, I’ll be keeping this article updated as new ad types start showing in the wild within AI Mode. At this time, there are only 5 different ad types that can appear within Ai Mode, though I expect this to expand further over the coming months.

FAQs

Can ads be targeted directly within Google's AI Mode?

No. At this time, you can't directly place ads within Google's AI-related surfaces, with it being an automatic placement based on Google's advertising models. This includes both AI Overviews within the main section of search results and within AI Mode.

Is there any segmented reporting for ads within Google's AI Mode?

At the moment, there is no segmentation for ads within AI Mode for reporting purposes, though that will likely change over time. There is, however, the ability to enable AI Max for Search ad campaigns, which allows you to see specific reporting for conversational queries.

Can I block my ads from appearing within AI Mode?

No. You cannot directly block ads from appearing in AI Mode, though Google is starting to introduce blocking controls within Search Console for organic results for when sites don't want to appear within AI Overviews or AI Mode.