The digital media experts from Brkthru spell it out in our latest POV:
It’s not ads versus AI. It’s ads through AI. Search is evolving – and AI is at the forefront.
OpenAI, holding the largest share of the AI market at 22%, is making moves to challenge Google’s dominance. Yet, Google remains a stronghold in the US with 87.3% search market share (StatCounter, February 2025). Who will win?
Both. And marketers, too, if they play their cards right. Late last year, Google integrated ads in AI Overviews, displaying sponsored results below the query and linking to relevant products or services. Taking it a step further, Google confirmed in March it will test ads in AI Mode, an experimental search mode designed to tackle more complex, multi-faceted questions.
Similarly, OpenAI rolled out shopping features in late April, offering product recommendations across a variety of categories. While OpenAI doesn’t currently have ads, it’s exploring them as a revenue source, and product recommendations are a step in that direction. Other AI search engine competitors, like Microsoft Copilot and Perplexity, have also begun including advertisements in search results.
These moves are carving a new path from query to purchase, complementing the traditional search experience with more curation and customization. The AI-generated responses or ad formats aren’t just text – they may include elements such as:
● Product cards within AI responses
● Auto-generated recommendations based on merchant feeds
● Inline brand placements inside answer summaries
Of course, the road isn’t entirely paved with gold – speed bumps and detours like hallucinations can take us off course. When AI makes up or mismatches product data, or pulls from an outdated source, it can lead to consumer mistrust, slowed adoption, and brand degradation.
Through these twists and turns, always-on structured SEM campaigns will continue to offer a straightaway to brand truth. Ads in Google’s AI Overviews are already available to marketers through existing AI-powered Search ads, Shopping, and Performance Max campaigns. AI models are generating recommendations often based on product feeds and price availability. Therefore, a forward-looking strategy integrates:
● Optimized Google Merchant Center feeds
● Performance Max campaigns tuned for visual and conversational placements
● Protection against hallucinations with structured product data
● Search presence across traditional, AI-generated, and shopping-specific surfaces
● A unified SEM and SEO plan to stay visible whether a user clicks, chats, or compares
Paid ads will be ever-present – but how and where they show up will morph. Marketers who adapt now will define the next generation of visibility.
Curious how this will affect your advertising needs? We can help. info@brkthu.com
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