Two numbers define the state of Google AI Mode in April 2026: 75 million users and 93%. The first is the monthly active user count for AI Mode — a product that barely existed twelve months ago. The second is the share of AI Mode searches that end without a click to any external website.
For advertisers, these two numbers together tell a clear story: the audience is there, the traffic is not coming to you, and the only way to reach users inside this experience is through AI Mode advertising.
What AI Mode is — and how it differs from AI Overviews
AI Mode is Google’s fully conversational search interface, powered by Gemini. Where AI Overviews add a summary box above traditional search results, AI Mode replaces the results page entirely with a conversational experience — users can ask follow-up questions, drill deeper, and receive synthesised answers that draw from multiple sources simultaneously.
The distinction matters for advertisers. AI Overviews ads appear alongside standard search results. AI Mode ads appear within a fully conversational session. The intent signals are different, the user behaviour is different, and the creative requirements are different.
The 25% ad coverage figure
Ads now appear in 25.5% of AI Mode results — up 394% year-over-year from approximately 3% in January 2025. The growth rate reflects both Google’s expansion of eligible ad formats and the rapid increase in AI Mode query volume.
Ad placements appear above, below, or within AI Mode responses depending on geography, query intent, campaign type, and ad relevance. In February 2026, Google launched Direct Offers — a new format that surfaces personalised deals when the AI determines a user has strong purchase intent, pulling directly from verified Merchant Center feeds.
Performance and cost
Early performance data for AI Mode ads shows 18% higher engagement than traditional search ads — but at a 35% higher cost-per-click. This premium reflects the higher intent of AI Mode users: someone asking a multi-part question about which product to buy is further down the purchase funnel than someone typing a keyword into a standard search box.
For advertisers with high average order values or strong customer lifetime value, the premium is justified. For lower-margin products, the calculus is less clear — but the channel is young enough that CPCs are still forming. Brands that enter now and build Quality Score history will be better positioned as competition increases.
How to access AI Mode ads today
No separate campaign setup is required. Advertisers running Performance Max or AI Max for Search campaigns are automatically eligible for AI Mode placements. What determines visibility is asset quality, feed accuracy, and relevance to the conversational query context — not a separate activation step.
The practical implication: if you are already running Google Ads, you are eligible. But eligibility and visibility are not the same thing. Optimising your asset groups and Merchant Center feeds specifically for conversational contexts is what separates advertisers who appear in 25% of AI Mode results from those who appear in far fewer.
Sources: Digital Applied — Google AI Mode: 75M Users · SE Roundtable — Google expands ads in AI Overviews · Search Engine Land — Google to expand ads in AI Overviews