Bing Showing Ads Within AI Overviews
Microsoft has begun placing sponsored results inside Bing's AI Overviews, the Copilot-powered answer boxes that replaced the Copilot Search box a few months ago. The format puts paid placements directly in the generated response rather than alongside it.
The sighting comes from Khushal Bherwani, who posted a screenshot on X showing a sponsored result within a Bing AI Overview. Barry Schwartz noted he had not seen ads inside Bing's AI responses himself and could not trigger them, so the rollout appears limited for now.
For brands, the change means the answer box is no longer purely an organic surface. Paid placement now sits in the same space where citations and recommendations are generated, which puts a price on visibility that GEO work has so far pursued through content and structure alone.
Reported by Search Engine Roundtable ↗
Topics: AI Overviews, Copilot, AI advertising