Which AI assistants show ads?
Here's how the major AI ad placements compare. Only ChatGPT sells its AI placement directly; Google and Microsoft decide when your existing campaigns fit an AI answer.
| Platform | Where ads appear | How you buy them | Can you target the placement? |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Below the answer, labeled as sponsored | OpenAI's self-serve Ads Manager | Yes, it's ChatGPT's own ad product |
| Google AI Overviews | Inside and around the AI summary in search results | Search, Shopping, and Performance Max campaigns | No, Google decides eligibility |
| Google AI Mode | Below and inside AI Mode answers (in testing) | AI Max and Performance Max | No, Google decides eligibility |
| Microsoft Copilot | Alongside Copilot answers, built from your assets | Existing Microsoft Ads campaigns | No, eligible campaigns are entered automatically |
| Perplexity | No ads at the moment | Not available | Only earned mentions |
How are AI ads different from regular search ads?
There are fewer keywords and more context. AI systems decide when an ad fits a conversation or an AI answer, so the quality of your ad copy, landing pages, product feeds, and conversion data does most of the targeting work. Advertisers with messy tracking or vague landing pages get matched poorly. Clear, specific ones get matched well.
How do we approach AI search ads?
The same discipline across every platform:
- Tracking first. Pixels, conversion APIs, and offline conversions set up on every platform, so each system optimizes toward real customers.
- Feeds and assets. Clean product feeds, logos, images, and ad copy, because AI placements are assembled from them.
- Landing pages that answer the question. Pages built for the specific problem someone asked an assistant about.
- Measured budgets. Small tests on each platform, scaled only where cost per lead or sale holds up.
- One report. ChatGPT, Google, and Microsoft results side by side, checked against your CRM or store data.
Is your account ready for AI search ads?
A quick readiness checklist we run for every client:
- Conversion tracking works on every platform you run, including calls and offline sales where they matter.
- Google and Microsoft Search campaigns use settings that make them eligible, such as broad match or AI Max, where your data can support it.
- Your Microsoft Ads search campaigns include a logo, which Copilot placements require.
- Product feeds in Google and Microsoft Merchant Center are complete and accurate, if you sell online.
- Landing pages answer specific questions clearly, so AI systems can match them to the right conversations.
- An OpenAI Ads Manager account with the pixel or Conversions API installed, ready for a ChatGPT test.
Paid or earned: which do you need?
Both, ideally. Ads put you under or beside the answer. AI search optimization gets you into the answer itself, which no ad can buy. Businesses that show up in both places capture more of the people researching in AI tools, and the same groundwork, like clear pages, structured data, and clean tracking, helps both.
Who should invest in AI search ads now?
Businesses already running profitable Google or Microsoft campaigns can extend into AI placements with little extra work, since many of those campaigns are already eligible. ChatGPT ads are a separate, newer channel worth a measured test for e-commerce brands, service businesses, and B2B companies whose buyers research before they buy.