Google is bringing ads to AI Mode, its AI-powered search tool, in India and nine other countries, the company said in its own announcement. The expansion means sponsored content will now appear inside AI-generated search answers for Indian users, not just in traditional search results.
Which countries are getting AI Mode ads now?
Google said ads in AI Mode are now available in Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Singapore. The company plans to expand further in the fourth quarter of 2026 to additional markets, including Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom, according to the same post, credited to Shashi Thakur, Google’s vice president and general manager for search ads.
AI Mode itself reached all users in the United States in May 2025, and Google began testing ads inside it that November. India’s inclusion in this round puts it among the earliest markets outside the US and UK to see monetized AI Mode results.
What will users in India actually see?
Sponsored content will now appear alongside AI Mode’s generated answers when users search on Google. In the United States, Google is also introducing what it calls “multiturn” ads, which can appear not just on a user’s first query but in follow-up questions within the same AI Mode conversation. Google’s announcement did not specify whether multiturn ads are part of this round of international expansion or limited to the US for now.
Why is Google expanding ads in AI Mode now?
On Alphabet’s third quarter 2026 earnings call, company executives said AI Mode currently monetizes less than what Google spends running it, since generating an AI answer costs more computing power than returning a traditional list of links. Executives described early advertising results in AI Mode as showing “promising results,” a framing that points toward wider ad rollout as part of Google’s path to making the feature profitable.
Google has not disclosed how much running AI Mode costs it globally or in any specific market, including India, nor has it given a timeline for when the feature is expected to turn profitable. The company’s own post frames this expansion as a step in that direction rather than a finished result.
The move also reflects a broader shift across the search industry. As AI-generated answers reduce the need for users to click through to outside websites, search companies including Google have had to find new ways to keep advertising revenue flowing through AI-native formats rather than only the traditional ad-link model.
| Rollout stage | Markets |
|---|---|
| Available now | Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore |
| Coming in Q4 2026 | Brazil, Mexico, United Kingdom, and other locales |
What does this mean for advertisers and businesses in India?
For businesses that already run Google Ads campaigns, AI Mode’s expansion into India opens a new placement where a brand’s offer can surface directly inside an AI-generated answer, rather than only in the list of blue links beside it. Google has not published India-specific pricing or click-through data for these placements, and its announcement gives no revenue projections for the market.
The shift mirrors a pattern playing out across the search industry generally, where AI summaries answer a growing share of queries without sending the reader to an outside website. Publishers and e-commerce sellers that depend on search traffic have had to adjust to fewer click-throughs, and Google positions in-answer advertising as one way for both the platform and businesses to keep sustaining that traffic value as AI answers become the default search experience in more markets, including India.
Frequently asked questions
Is AI Mode itself new in India?
No, Google’s announcement concerns ads inside AI Mode, not the feature’s availability. AI Mode reached all US users in May 2025, and Google’s October 28, 2026 announcement covers ad monetization expanding to India and nine other countries.
Will this change how search results look for Indian users?
Yes. Users searching with AI Mode in India will now see sponsored content mixed into the AI-generated answers, in addition to the organic AI summary, once the rollout reaches them.
Is AI Mode profitable for Google yet?
Not according to Google’s own Q3 2026 earnings call, where executives said the feature currently costs more to run than it earns, and described the expanding ad rollout as a step toward narrowing that gap.
What to watch next: whether Google publishes India-specific usage or ad performance figures for AI Mode once the rollout is fully live, and whether the multiturn ad format piloted in the US extends to these newly added markets.
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