Google ads in AI Mode reach 10 more countries and multiturn ads launch in the US; Thailand not listed

Google said on 28 October 2026 that it is scaling ads in AI Mode to Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Singapore, and that it is launching multiturn ads in the United States, which place ads on AI Mode's answers to follow-up questions. Thailand is not on the list, and neither is the Thai language. The announcement was posted by Shashi Thakur, VP and GM of Google Search Ads and Ads on Google Experiences, on the Google Ads & Commerce blog.

What Google announced on 28 October 2026

The blog post is short and makes four claims. Each one is worth reading closely, because the details sit in the footnotes and in a linked Help Center page rather than in the headline.

• Queries in AI Mode are, on average, three times longer than traditional searches. Google footnotes this to its "Google AI Mode Report, US, May 2026".
• Click-through rates are "already similar between sponsored and organic product list items within AI Mode". The footnote cites Google internal data for the US covering 20 August to 3 September 2026.
• Ads in AI Mode are now scaling in the ten countries above, and Google plans to expand to additional locales in Q4 2026, "including Brazil, Mexico, and the United Kingdom".
• Multiturn ads are launching in the US to allow ads in follow-up queries. Ads will be labelled "Sponsored", and Google says it will keep testing new formats.

The click-through claim is narrower than it first reads. It compares sponsored and organic product list items, which are the Shopping-style product units, in the US only, over a window of about two weeks. Google gave no click-through figure for text ads in AI Mode, and no conversion rate, cost-per-click or revenue figure of any kind.

Where ads in AI Mode can serve now

The location list lives on Google's Help Center page "About ads in AI-powered experiences in Google Search", which the blog post links to. As read on 29 October 2026, the page lists the markets below and warns that the list "may not be exhaustive" because Google keeps testing and expanding.

Thailand does not appear in the blog post or in the Help page list for ads inside AI Overviews or AI Mode. The separate rule for standard ads above or below an AI Overview covers every market where AI Overviews show, so if an AI Overview appears on a Thai query, a normal Search ad can still sit above or below it. The new in-answer placements are what Thailand does not have.

What multiturn ads change

Multiturn ads extend eligibility to the answers Google gives after a user asks a follow-up. A Google spokesperson told Search Engine Roundtable that multiturn ads "show up on responses to follow-up user queries as users engage in back and forth conversations with AI Mode."

The Help page describes the same behaviour in general terms: when a search or conversation has commercial relevance, ads can appear within or alongside AI responses, "including across follow-up questions in AI Mode". In practice this means a second or third turn in a US conversation is now an ad opportunity.

Google has not published how many ads can show per turn, whether earlier turns in a conversation feed the matching, or whether advertisers will be able to see which turn an impression came from. The Help page only says that matching uses the user's query and the AI response.

Which campaigns are eligible, and how matching works

Google's Help page says advertisers do not need new campaigns or separate budgets. Existing Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns are automatically eligible to serve within AI Overviews and AI Mode through the normal auction. Text ads and Shopping ads can appear, and Google says it is experimenting with local inventory ads and vehicle ads.

Matching works in two ways. Direct query matching applies when the search already shows clear commercial intent, such as "pool vacuum cleaners". Contextual matching applies when someone asks a longer, exploratory question and commercial intent comes out of the answer. Google's example is "why is my pool green and how do I clean it?", where the response covers testing, brushing and vacuuming and Google can then show ads for pool vacuums or algae treatment kits.

Match type decides which of the two a campaign can reach:

• AI Max for Search, broad match on Search, Shopping campaigns and Performance Max are eligible for both contextual and direct query matching.
• Exact and phrase match keywords on Search are eligible only when the query expresses direct commercial intent, and are not eligible for contextual matching on broader questions.

This is a firmer statement than Google had made before. On 7 September 2026 RA reported that Ginny Marvin, Google's Ads Liaison, had confirmed on 4 September a limited experiment letting exact and phrase match keywords serve text ads in AI Mode, with no countries or end date given. The Help page now writes the rule down as part of standard eligibility: exact and phrase can serve, but only on direct commercial queries.

AI explainers: text Google writes next to the ad

The Help page also describes AI explainers, short text generated by Google's Gemini models that explains how an ad or a group of ads relates to what the person is looking for. Depending on the layout, an explainer may introduce a group of sponsored options, or add context next to one ad using the user's query, the AI response and publicly available sources, including the advertiser's website.

Advertisers cannot write, edit, approve or opt out of AI explainers. They are not part of the headline or description. In some cases ads show with a static section header instead, such as "You might consider these options". Google's only advice on the point is to keep website content clear and up to date so the context it pulls is accurate.

Controls, reporting and billing

The Help page's controls and FAQ sections answer the questions advertisers usually ask first. The table below summarises what it says.

The reporting row matters most for planning. Because AI Mode results are folded into normal Search reporting, an advertiser in Malaysia or Singapore will not see a clean "AI Mode" line. Any change will show up indirectly, in longer and more conversational entries in the search terms report and in shifts in impressions or click-through rate that have no other explanation.

What this means for Thai marketers

For campaigns that target Thailand, nothing changes on the in-answer placements today. Google named no date for Thailand and did not list Thai among the languages. Anyone planning on the assumption that Thailand is next is guessing, because the source gives no basis for it.

The change is real for Thai businesses that advertise abroad in English. Campaigns aimed at Malaysia, Singapore or the Philippines, such as those run by hotels, schools, property developers or exporters selling into those markets, are now eligible for ads inside AI Mode with no setting to switch on and no setting to switch off. The same applies to campaigns targeting Australia, India, Canada or New Zealand. The following checks are RA's reading of the Help page, not instructions from Google:

• List every campaign whose location targeting includes one of the ten new countries, and note the date, 28 October 2026, so before-and-after comparisons start from the right point.
• Read the search terms report for those campaigns more often for the next few weeks. Long, question-shaped queries are the likeliest sign of AI Mode traffic, since the report will not label it.
• Decide match types on purpose. Exact and phrase keep a campaign out of contextual matching. Broad match, AI Max and Performance Max let it in. Neither choice is right by default; it depends on whether exploratory traffic converts for that business.
• Check brand exclusions and negative keyword lists, since Google says those still control when ads serve.
• For Shopping, follow Google's feed advice: titles, descriptions, several images, accurate prices, ratings and clear shipping and return policies.
• Review the landing pages and website copy, because AI explainers can draw on the advertiser's website and cannot be edited.

Relevant Audience's Google Ads management team covers this kind of match-type and search-term review. The question of how AI answers describe a brand, which explainers now touch on the paid side, is the subject of RA's generative engine optimisation service, and Shopping feed work sits with ecommerce marketing.

What Google did not say

• No date or plan for Thailand, Thai-language queries, or any Southeast Asian market beyond Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and, for AI Overviews only, Indonesia.
• No exact dates for Brazil, Mexico and the UK beyond "Q4 2026", and no full list of the other "additional locales".
• No plan to take multiturn ads beyond the US.
• No click-through figure for text ads, and no conversion, CPC or revenue data for any AI Mode format.
• No AI Mode segment in reporting. The Help page describes aggregate reporting only.
• No date on the Help page itself, which also says its location list may not be complete.

The same day, Alphabet reported its third-quarter 2026 results. On the earnings call, Chief Business Officer Philipp Schindler said lower monetization in AI Mode was one of the factors weighing on Search revenue growth, according to Search Engine Journal's account of the call. Those results are covered in a separate RA post. Here it is enough to note that Google expanded AI Mode ads on the same day it told investors that AI Mode currently monetizes at a lower rate.

How this fits RA's earlier coverage

RA has followed ads in AI Mode since the US experiment. On 5 August 2025 it covered the first US, English-only test of ads in AI Mode. On 16 July 2026 it reported an SE Ranking study that found text ads on 29.45% of 50,032 US commercial queries in AI Mode. On 7 September 2026 it covered the exact and phrase match experiment, and on 20 October 2026 it reported Google's test of ads in AI Mode for users who connect Gmail and Photos through Personal Intelligence.

Two things are new on 28 October: AI Mode ads in ten more countries, including three in Southeast Asia, and multiturn ads on follow-up questions in the US.

Frequently asked questions

Are ads in AI Mode live in Thailand?

No. Thailand is not in Google's 28 October 2026 announcement or in the Help page's list of markets for ads within AI Overviews and AI Mode, and English is the only language listed. Standard ads above or below an AI Overview can still run wherever AI Overviews appear.

Do I need to create a new campaign to appear in AI Mode?

No. Google says existing Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns are automatically eligible in the listed markets, with no new campaign or separate budget needed.

Can I opt out of showing ads in AI Mode?

No. Google says advertisers cannot target AI Overviews or AI Mode on their own or opt out of them separately from Search. Negative keywords and brand exclusions still apply.

What are multiturn ads?

Multiturn ads are ads shown on AI Mode's answers to follow-up questions, launched in the US on 28 October 2026. Google has not named any other market for them.

Can exact match keywords show ads in AI Mode?

Yes, but only on queries with direct commercial intent. Google's Help page says exact and phrase match are not eligible for contextual matching on broader, exploratory questions, while broad match, AI Max, Shopping and Performance Max are eligible for both.

For advertisers running English campaigns into Malaysia, Singapore or the Philippines, the useful work now is in the search terms report and the match-type settings, before Google's next wave in Q4 2026. If you would like a second look at those accounts, Relevant Audience's Google Ads team can review them with you.