Google expands advertising in AI mode
The adverts are appearing in ten new countries, but not yet in the European Union.
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Google is to show adverts in its AI mode in ten additional countries. The expansion includes Canada and India; European countries are not yet on the list.
Google is expanding the commercial functions of its AI mode to Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Singapore. The company announced this on Wednesday. According to Google, adverts in the United States can now also appear after users have asked a follow-up question.
Google describes AI mode as part of Google Search in which users can ask questions in natural language and receive an answer generated by artificial intelligence. Sponsored product listings may also appear in those answers. Google says these adverts are clearly labelled ‘Sponsored’.
For users in the European Union, the availability of these adverts will therefore not change for the time being. Google does name Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom as markets that could follow in the fourth quarter of 2026. The company has not announced when EU countries will be added.
With the expansion, Google is bringing adverts to AI mode in more countries. According to Google, questions in AI mode are on average three times longer than traditional searches. The company also says that sponsored and unsponsored product listings had comparable click-through rates in an internal US measurement.
Google presents the expansion as a test of new advertising formats. Adverts can be matched to the question someone asks and, in the United States, also to follow-up questions in the same conversation. TechCrunch links the expansion to Alphabet’s search for new revenues from AI, as growth in traditional search advertising slows.
For users in the EU, the advertising expansion has not yet been extended to the EU. That says nothing about future plans: Google explicitly names new markets outside the EU, but gives no timetable for EU countries. It is also not yet clear how adverts in AI-generated answers would relate in Europe to European rules on digital services, consumer protection and transparency.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Google is expanding adverts in AI mode to ten countries outside Europe.
- According to Google, adverts are marked as sponsored.
- Google gives no timetable for expansion to the European Union.
- In the United States, adverts will also be available for follow-up questions.
Left
Arguments The expansion shows that commercial incentives are penetrating ever further into information generated by AI. From this perspective, strict oversight is needed of transparency, privacy and whether users can still clearly distinguish between an answer and advertising.
Values Public oversight, consumer protection, privacy and equal access to reliable information.
Consequences Without firm rules, users may mistake advertising for neutral information, while smaller companies or public sources may become less visible.
Centre
Arguments Adverts can be a legitimate way of financing expensive AI services, as long as they are clearly recognisable and do not influence the quality of answers. An institutional approach primarily calls for verifiable rules and oversight of their implementation.
Values Innovation, transparency, freedom of choice and enforceable regulation.
Consequences A controlled rollout can enable new services, but requires ongoing monitoring of deception, market competition and data use.
Right
Arguments Google should be given room to develop new advertising formats and generate revenue from its investments in AI. Users and businesses can choose which search service they use, as long as advertising is not hidden.
Values Market freedom, entrepreneurship, innovation and limited government intervention.
Consequences Heavy European regulation could slow development or disadvantage companies against international competitors; too little transparency could nevertheless damage trust.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The article’s core is based on Google’s announcement of 28 October and an independent second source. The only remaining uncertainty is when, or under what conditions, the European Union will be added.
- confirmed Google is expanding adverts in AI mode to ten new countries. — This is stated in Google’s announcement and independently described by TechCrunch. source
- confirmed Canada and India are among the new markets. — Both countries appear on Google’s list of ten countries. source
- confirmed European countries are not on the current list. — The published list contains no EU member state; Dr Web likewise summarises this as zero EU countries. source
- confirmed Google names Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom for the fourth quarter of 2026. — Google lists these markets as the intended next expansion. source
- confirmed Google says questions in AI mode are on average three times longer. — This statistic appears in Google’s own announcement; it is a measurement reported by Google. source
Editor's note
The expansion and the list of countries have been confirmed by Google. The possible expansion to Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom concerns plans for the fourth quarter; no timetable for the EU has been given.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- NOS — „google ai-modus”
- Het Parool — „google ai-modus”
- NRC — „google ai-modus”