Will AI Summaries Include Ads, and Could Ads Reduce Organic Visibility?

Where do ads appear in AI search today?

From Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising and OpenAI's own pages:

Do ads in Google AI Overviews push organic listings further down the page?

Yes, in the sense that matters for clicks. Ads can appear above an AI Overview, the AI Overview itself takes a large block of the screen, and ads can appear within or below it. BrightEdge measured AI Overviews at around 1,200 pixels tall on average, which on a phone is more than a full screen. On a commercial query with ads above, the first organic result can sit well below the fold.

The click data reflects this, though it mixes the effect of the AI Overview and the ads around it. Seer Interactive found that for informational queries with an AI Overview in which the brand was not cited, organic click-through rates were 0.52% in the third quarter of 2025, down 65% year on year. Ahrefs found the click-through rate for the top organic result on keywords with AI Overviews fell from 7.3% to 1.6% between December 2023 and December 2025. How far AI features reduce clicks in general is covered in how much Google AI Overviews and AI Mode reduce organic clicks.

What ads do not do, according to Google, is change rankings. Google's How Search Works pages say advertisers get no special treatment in organic results. Ads compete for space on the page, not for positions in the organic ranking or for citations in the AI Overview.

Are ads in Google AI Mode targeted by conversation context rather than keyword bids?

Partly. Keywords and bids still matter, but matching goes beyond exact keywords. For AI Overviews, Google Ads' help page says both the user's query and the content of the AI Overview are considered, and that to be matched advertisers need broad match, the keywordless targeting in AI Max for Search, Performance Max, Shopping or Dynamic Search Ads. Ads come from existing campaigns and still have to win the auction. Google gives the example of a question about pool cleaning prompting ads for pool vacuum cleaners because the AI Overview discusses them.

For AI Mode, Google announced at Marketing Live in May 2026 that Gemini evaluates and synthesises information about a product or service and displays that context alongside the advertiser's creative. It introduced Conversational Discovery ads, which answer a person's specific question, and Highlighted Answers, where relevant ads can appear in a list of recommendations AI Mode gives. So ads in AI Mode are matched to what the conversation is about, drawing on the advertiser's existing campaign, rather than to a single keyword. Google does not currently offer separate reporting for ads shown within AI Overviews. Whether buying ads helps organic AI visibility is a separate question, covered in whether Google Ads improve AI search visibility.

Where do Microsoft ads appear in AI answers and experiences?

In Copilot and across Microsoft's search surfaces. Microsoft Advertising said in March 2025 that ads in Copilot had fully ramped in English, French and German-speaking markets, and set out its principles: organic responses are never influenced by sponsored content, which is distinctly marked and appears only when highly relevant. It said taking account of the signals of entire conversations made ad relevance in Copilot 25% better than in traditional search, a Microsoft figure.

Microsoft's formats include ads created automatically from a campaign's existing text and images, Showroom ads that open an immersive product experience when someone shows purchase intent, and, since 2026, AI Max for Search, which Microsoft describes as an effective way to reach Copilot Search, Copilot Answers and Bing. Its help centre says Performance Max campaigns give Copilot the most assets to match. Offer Highlights now appear in ads on product pages in Copilot, Edge and Bing, and Copilot Checkout lets shoppers buy inside Copilot. How Bing feeds organic Copilot answers is covered in why Bing matters for AI search visibility.

Could ads reduce organic visibility in AI answers themselves?

Not directly, according to all three companies. Google says ads in AI Overviews are matched to the answer's content, not the other way round. Microsoft says Copilot's organic responses are never influenced by sponsored content. OpenAI says ads do not influence the answers ChatGPT gives. If those policies hold, a competitor cannot buy its way into the cited sources or the recommended list, except through clearly labelled ad formats such as Highlighted Answers.

The indirect effects are real, though:

• Attention. A labelled ad next to an answer competes with the brands the answer names.
• Clicks. Fewer people scroll past the AI answer and ads to organic links.
• Measurement. Google does not report ads within AI Overviews separately, and Search Console does not show which AI answers cited you, so the combined effect is hard to isolate.

How should businesses respond?

1. Aim to be cited in the AI answer, since that is the organic space above the ads. Seer found brands cited in AI Overviews earned more organic clicks per impression than those not cited.
2. Check your key queries by hand on mobile, noting where the first organic result falls and whether you are cited.
3. Separate paid and organic reporting. Do not credit organic losses to ranking when layout changed.
4. If you advertise, review broad match, AI Max and Performance Max settings, since those decide eligibility for AI placements, and watch search term reports.
5. Build demand you own, such as brand searches, email and direct visits, which ads in AI answers cannot intercept as easily.

Whether ad-heavy pages themselves suffer in AI Overviews is a separate issue, covered in whether ad-heavy websites lose visibility in Google AI Overviews.

What might this look like in practice?

Consider an illustrative outdoor gear retailer, Ridgeway Supply, ranking first organically for "best lightweight tent for backpacking." Over a year, an AI Overview began appearing for the query, with two Shopping ads above it and a text ad inside it. Its organic clicks for the query fell by more than half, though its ranking did not change. A manual check showed its buying guide was not among the AI Overview's cited sources, while two review sites were. Ridgeway updated the guide with tested weights, pack sizes and a comparison table, and was cited in the AI Overview within two months. Its paid team, separately, checked that its Shopping and Performance Max campaigns were running, since those are already eligible for placements inside the Overview.

What do people ask about ads in AI answers?

Are ads in AI Overviews labelled?

Yes. Google labels them "Sponsored."

Can I buy a place in an AI Overview's cited sources?

No. Ads appear as separate labelled placements; Google says advertisers get no special treatment in organic results.

Do ads in Copilot change Copilot's answers?

Microsoft says organic responses are never influenced by sponsored content.

Can I target only AI Overview placements?

Not currently. Ads from eligible campaigns are matched automatically, and Google does not report AI Overview placements separately.