Google may show pharmaceutical ads in AI Mode and AI Overviews

Google may show ads for certain pharmaceutical products inside AI Mode and AI Overviews. Adweek reported it on 12 October 2026, and Barry Schwartz wrote it up at Search Engine Roundtable on 13 October 2026.

What did Google say?#

A Google spokesperson gave Adweek this statement, as Schwartz quotes it: “We’re testing standard text and Shopping ads in AI Mode and AI Overviews, which we recently expanded to include certain pharmaceutical products.” We could only read part of the Adweek article, which sits behind a subscription wall, so the quote is as reported by Schwartz and matches the fragments visible in Adweek’s text.

Which ads and where?#

Adweek reports that the testing for pharmaceutical products, including prescription drugs, began this month and is limited to the U.S. Pharmaceutical advertisers can run standard text and Shopping ads, which appear in sections labeled as “Sponsored”.

Did the policy change?#

Schwartz says he is not sure when Google last updated its drug or pharmaceutical ads policies. He last saw updates in March 2026 and October 2025, plus regional changes in some countries. He asked Google and was told there were no recent policy changes. In his reading, Google expanded the ads it already tests in AI Mode and AI Overviews to this category.

What is not known?#

The visible text of Adweek names no advertiser requirements, and Schwartz could not find pharmaceutical ads in AI Mode or AI Overviews himself. How many queries or advertisers are included, and when the test ends, is not stated in the sources.

What can advertisers do?#

Nothing is documented for opting in or out. The sources describe no new setting or policy page for this test. For the wider picture of ads in these surfaces, see Google opens AI Mode ads to exact and phrase match keywords. Topic hub: AI search.