Bing puts ads at the top of AI Mode answers
Microsoft has begun placing ads at the top of Bing's AI Mode results, the assistant formerly known as Copilot Search. Both standard search ads and shopping ads appear above the generated answer, and the sponsored labels are faint enough that they are easy to miss at a glance.
Sachin Patel posted examples of the standard search ads, and shopping ads were also visible in the same position. Ads also carry through into follow-up questions, the multiturn format Google has been rolling out in its own AI Mode.
For brands chasing citations in AI answers, the top of the response is now a paid slot as well as an editorial one. That gives advertisers a direct route into the answer area, while organic mentions have to compete with placements that carry only a muted disclosure.
Reported by Search Engine Roundtable ↗
Topics: AI Mode, Copilot, AI advertising