Google is bringing more ads to AI search results

Google is adding more ads to the artificial intelligence (AI)-generated summaries at the top of search results.

At this year’s Google Marketing Live event where the company showcases its latest product advancements in advertising and commerce, Google said Search and Shopping ads in AI Overviews will be expanding to desktop users in the U.S. starting this month.

Later this year, ads in AI Overviews will expand in English to select countries on mobile and desktop, including Canada, Australia, Philippines, South Africa, Pakistan, Nigeria, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Kenya, and Indonesia.

The expansion comes along with tests for ads within the recently announced AI Mode. Google said ads may appear below and integrated into AI Mode responses “where relevant.”

The U.S. technology publication The Verge reports that Google will add a “sponsored” label on the ad suggestions.

"In Sub-Saharan Africa, the digital landscape is experiencing explosive growth, making digital presence and AI adoption a necessity for businesses to thrive and connect with their customers effectively," said Charles Murito, Google's policy lead for Sub-Saharan Africa. 

"These announcements reinforce our commitment to equipping Kenya's vibrant business community with cutting-edge AI tools to unlock new opportunities and achieve their growth ambitions."

Google dominates the global online search engine market. It says it sees more than 5 trillion searches annually.

In major markets like the U.S. and India, the Alphabet-owned tech giant says the AI Overviews feature it launched last year has over 1.5 billion users across various countries and is driving over a 10 per cent increase in Google usage for the types of queries that show them.

Last week, the company announced a raft of generative AI products as it takes on competitors in the AI race such as ChatGPT maker OpenAI.

Among them is the AI Mode to build on the AI Overviews. Users will begin getting an AI Mode tab on the results page which will enable them to ask follow-up questions for better results.

It is easily Google's efforts to take on the Microsoft-backed ChatGPT, which has been incorporating search engine features into its chatbot.

With AI Mode, Google also announced virtual clothing try-ons using personal photos, and technology that can automatically search for desired items and purchase them when prices drop.