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Google shared how AI will reimagine the traditional search experience at its annual event for marketers, Google Marketing Live, with many highly anticipated details on how ads will fit into this new interface.
Ads will be available in Google’s AI Overview, formerly known as Search Generative Experience—its AI-powered conversational interface that answers search queries—and will soon appear at the top of Google search results.
For instance, a query asking how to de-wrinkle clothes featured Google’s AI-generated answer followed by Shopping product listing ads. Traditional search ad formats can also appear in the AI Overview. All ads will be labeled as such within the format.
Right now, marketers don’t need to change the ads they upload to regular Search, standard Shopping and Performance Max campaigns—existing ads bought via these formats can appear in the new AI Overview format.
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Google announced it was testing this ad format at GML last year. As Google’s AI Overview expands in the U.S., the format will be tested more widely. The company was light on any further details on how search advertising will change.
Similarly, as Microsoft has introduced ads in its OpenAI-powered Bing search engine, it’s also opting not to create a new buying interface to make less work for advertisers.
The search giant also announced new AI-driven formats to create ads driving people toward a purchase, more ways for brands to have a visual identity on Google and new tools using AI to generate creative assets.
“We believe the investments will put Google at the forefront of this AI paradigm shift,” said Kristen O’Hara, vp of agency, platforms and client solutions at Google, at a press event ahead of GML in New York.
