Google is bringing more ads to AI search results

A magnifying glass is photographed with Google logo displayed on a laptop screen. (Photo by AFP)

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.

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