Google is piloting an ad format inside AI Mode that mimics the plain anchor-text links the feature already uses for organic citations. The only signal separating the two is a “Sponsored” label placed above the generated response, according to screenshots search marketer Sachin Patel shared on X and with Search Engine Watch.
The test builds on an earlier rollout from April, when Google began showing anchor-text style links inside AI Mode answers without any ad marking at all. Adding the sponsored tag closes that labeling gap. It also means paid results now carry the same visual weight as Google’s own generated text, rather than the boxed units still appearing beneath some AI Mode responses.
Google has not confirmed how broadly the format is testing or whether it will replace the boxed unit entirely. The company has not disclosed expected click-through performance either. Teams running paid campaigns inside AI Mode should watch for creative-format changes that could reset benchmark click-through data collected under the older, clearly boxed unit.
Reported by Barry Schwartz for Search Engine Roundtable on September 15, 2026.
