Google Launches Two New AI‑Powered Ad Formats for Search

At Google Marketing Live, the company unveiled two new advertising formats designed for its AI‑enhanced search experience, known as AI Mode. The first, Conversational Discovery Ads, responds to detailed, exploratory user queries by generating tailored creative with Gemini, Google’s language model. These ads allow users to refine their intent over a multi‑turn conversation, positioning the advertiser’s message early in the research process. The second format, Highlighted Answers, inserts ads directly into AI‑generated recommendation lists, giving brands visibility before users narrow down their choices. Both formats feature an independent AI explainer that synthesises product or service information alongside the advertiser’s creative, ensuring that the content remains clear and that ads are distinctly labelled as sponsored.

The move signals Google’s intent to deepen monetisation of conversational search, a shift that places greater emphasis on creative quality, landing‑page relevance, structured product data, and first‑party conversion signals. Advertisers will need to adapt their creative assets and landing pages to accommodate longer, context‑rich prompts and to track performance within AI‑generated recommendation lists. Measurement will become more complex, as conversational searches lack the structured keyword signals that traditional search advertising relies on, raising new reporting and optimisation challenges. Google has announced that it will test the new formats within AI Mode, but no official rollout date has been confirmed.

The introduction of these formats reflects Google’s broader strategy to integrate AI more deeply into the search ecosystem, offering advertisers new ways to reach users earlier in their decision journey while also demanding higher standards for creative and data quality. As the company continues to refine AI Mode, marketers will need to stay agile, ensuring that their campaigns are optimised for both the conversational context and the evolving measurement landscape.