Google is running a small but significant experiment inside AI Mode: letting traditional Search campaigns built on exact and phrase match keywords serve text ads to users who show explicit, direct intent. The test, confirmed by Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin after being spotted by AdSquire founder Anthony Higman, opens a new lane for paid search inside Google’s AI powered answer experience, one that until now has leaned almost entirely on Performance Max and AI Max campaigns.
What Google Is Testing
Since AI Mode launched, most of the ad inventory inside it has gone to broad, automation heavy campaign types. Advertisers running tightly controlled exact and phrase match campaigns had no way to reach AI Mode users without loosening match types or migrating budget into AI Max. This new test changes that. When Google detects a clear, specific intent behind a query inside AI Mode, it can now trigger a text ad from a standard Search campaign, no campaign migration required.
Why This Matters for Digital Marketing Budgets
For small and midsize businesses that rely on precise keyword targeting to control cost per click, this is the first real signal that Google plans to bring conventional PPC structures into AI Mode rather than forcing every advertiser into fully automated bidding. It also reinforces a trend Visuapex has been tracking since Google’s AI Mode expansion into core search results earlier this month: answer engine surfaces are becoming a second front for paid search, not just organic search and answer engine optimization.
The test is still limited in scope, and Google has not said whether it will roll out broadly or become permanent. Agencies managing PPC campaigns should start auditing which of their exact and phrase match ad groups would be strong candidates if AI Mode eligibility opens up further.
How to Prepare Your Account
A few practical steps while the test runs its course: keep exact and phrase match ad groups clean and tightly themed, since loosely built groups are unlikely to clear the “explicit and direct user intent” bar Google is applying; watch your Google Ads impression share and placement reports for any new AI Mode line items; and hold off on migrating well performing exact match campaigns into AI Max just to chase this inventory, since the eligibility rules are still narrow.
Google has a pattern of quietly testing ad formats in AI Mode before expanding them, as it did earlier this year with conversational ad formats. According to Search Engine Land, Google has not disclosed how broadly the experiment is running. Google has also been pushing its own Dynamic Search Ads upgrade to AI Max, so this test may simply be a stopgap for advertisers who have not made that migration yet.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Google testing in AI Mode?
Google is testing whether standard Search campaigns using exact and phrase match keywords can serve text ads inside AI Mode when a query shows explicit, direct intent, instead of requiring advertisers to use Performance Max or AI Max campaigns.
Do I need to change my Google Ads campaigns right now?
No. This is a limited test and Google has not confirmed a wider rollout. It is worth reviewing your exact and phrase match ad groups now so you are ready if eligibility expands, but no immediate campaign changes are required.
How is this different from AI Max or Performance Max?
AI Max and Performance Max rely heavily on automated targeting and broad signals. This test keeps the advertiser’s existing exact and phrase match keyword structure in place and simply allows those keywords to also trigger ads inside AI Mode under narrow intent conditions.