Google expands AI Search ads globally as core ad growth slows

Google announced during Alphabet's Q3 earnings call that it is expanding ads in AI Mode and AI Overviews to international markets, alongside multi-turn ads and AI Mode in the U.S. Alphabet reported $127.6 billion in revenue, up 25% year over year, but Search advertising growth decelerated to 12% from 17% in Q2 and 19% in Q1, and shares fell 8%. Google says click-through rates for sponsored product listings in AI Mode are comparable to organic listings, and CEO Sundar Pichai said AI Mode queries are three times longer on average than traditional searches.