This month’s Ask the PPC question about AI ad placements is near and dear to my heart. We’ve seen ads begin showing up on AI surfaces since 2024 , and yet, they still have an air of mystery about them: “Ads are starting to show up in AI chat experiences. How should advertisers think about these new placements – and are they worth the budget?” As I work for Microsoft, I can’t weigh in on competitor brand value for money. What I can do is speak about AI ads in general terms: How to access AI ad inventory. How to think about metrics for AI placements. Building in budget (time and money) for AI placements. How To Access AI Ad Inventory There are effectively two ways to purchase AI ad inventory: directly through an AI-first platform, or as part of your broader paid media buys on major ad networks. Neither is inherently better or worse than the other, but they do require different strategies.…