How Are Google Ads Changing in the Age of AI Overviews and Chatbots?

The Google we’ve known for the past two decades is gone.

The days when you typed a search, saw ten blue links, and clicked the best-looking one are quickly fading.

In 2025 and beyond, Google doesn’t just show you answers. it gives them to you directly.

This shift, led by AI Overview (previously known as Search Generative Experience), marks one of the biggest disruptions in Google’s history.

For the first time, Google is intentionally reducing user clicks by summarizing what it thinks you want to know.

And while that might sound great for users, it raises an uncomfortable question for brands and advertisers:

If Google is answering for you, what happens to your ads?

This isn’t just a small update to ad placement, it’s a full reengineering of how visibility, trust, and conversions work on the internet.

And the biggest irony?

Google built its empire on ads, the very thing its new AI feature might be undercutting.

AI Overviews are Google’s way of “thinking for you.” When you ask a question, instead of showing you a list of links, Google now generates a summary, complete with context, comparisons, and even visuals.

For instance, if you search “best running shoes for flat feet,” Google’s AI now compiles insights from multiple sources, showing pros, cons, and even recommendations, all before you see any traditional results.

The problem?

This new “snapshot” pushes organic and paid results further down the page.

On mobile, users may have to scroll past a full-screen AI summary before they see a single ad.

That’s not just a design change; it’s a shift in user behavior.

People are clicking less because they’re getting what they need without leaving Google’s results page.

And that’s bad news for brands that rely on clicks to measure success.

Let’s break it down, because the impact isn’t just theoretical.

Advertisers are already seeing real changes in how Google Ads behave under the AI system.

Your ad used to appear at the very top.

Now?

It’s often buried below the AI box.

The visibility gap is massive, especially on mobile, where the AI overview can take up the entire first scroll.

That means fewer impressions, lower CTR, and increased competition for fewer high-value slots.

Google Ads run on a bidding system.

But when there are fewer visible ad spots, advertisers start bidding more aggressively for the remaining positions.

That drives cost-per-click (CPC) up, even if the total traffic potential goes down.

AI Overviews are designed to give you an answer instantly.

Users don’t need to click, explore, or compare.

That means your traffic might drop even if your impressions rise.

This “zero-click” problem isn’t new, but AI has supercharged it.

When users read an AI-generated answer, they trust Google’s synthesis more than individual brand pages.

This changes how authority and credibility work.

Suddenly, it’s not just about your ads or your SEO, it’s about whether Google’s AI decides to cite you in its summary.

Here’s where things get even more interesting.

While Google is busy reinventing search, users are quietly migrating elsewhere, to chatbots and AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity.

People are now using ChatGPT to compare products, plan trips, and even shop.

These tools don’t show ads, at least not yet.

They give direct answers, often without ever opening a Google tab.

That means users are starting to bypass Google entirely.

The danger for Google is existential and how its $175 billion ad business depends on clicks.

If the next generation of users starts asking ChatGPT instead of searching, Google’s monopoly on discovery begins to crumble.

Make no mistake, Google knows it’s playing with fire.

The company is already testing ads within AI Overviews, small “sponsored” recommendations embedded inside the AI summary box.

It’s also pushing advertisers toward Performance Max campaigns, which use AI to distribute ads across Search, YouTube, Gmail, and Discover, not just in the search results.

Google’s strategy is clear: if users won’t click, then Google will make sure its ads are everywhere users might look, including inside the answers themselves.

But here’s the twist, for your brand to show up in these AI-driven environments, your content has to be understandable to AI.

That means structured data, FAQs, schema markup, and clear product descriptions are now part of your ad strategy, not just your SEO.

If you’re running paid ad campaigns, this is your wake-up call.

AI Overviews and chatbot-driven discovery are rewriting the rules.

Here’s how to stay ahead:

Don’t just optimize for keywords. Optimize for clarity.

Use factual, structured language that AI can interpret.

Include FAQs, comparison sections, and semantic cues that explain what your product really does.

If Google’s AI pulls from your content, that’s free visibility, even if users don’t click.

Strengthen your product pages, reviews, and guides so they become authoritative sources worth quoting.

Start tracking metrics like AI citation rate, zero-click impressions, and branded mentions in AI summaries.

These are the new KPIs in an AI-driven world.

Google will continue to evolve, and likely launch AI-native ad formats (e.g., conversational ads or integrated recommendations).

Don’t resist the change, prepare for it.

The future of paid search isn’t about chasing clicks anymore, it’s about earning context.

AI Overviews and chatbots are turning discovery into a conversation, not a clickstream.

Brands that understand this shift, and focus on creating meaningful, structured, trustworthy content, will still win.

Those that cling to old models of “more impressions = more sales” will be left behind.

We’re entering a new era where Google doesn’t just show your ad; it decides whether you’re worth mentioning.

And that’s a power shift every marketer needs to understand.

AI Overviews are Google’s AI-generated summaries that appear at the top of search results, giving users quick answers without needing to click through to websites.

They push ads lower on the page, leading to fewer impressions and clicks, and increasing competition for visible spots.

No, but they’ll evolve. Expect new AI-integrated ad formats and more focus on Performance Max campaigns.

By optimizing content for AI readability, building strong authority signals, and tracking new AI-driven metrics.

Not completely, but they’ll become a major discovery channel, especially for research, product comparisons, and recommendations.