A new and fast growing industry is emerging around AI powered search, as companies and advertisers try to figure out how marketing works when users get answers from chatbots instead of scrolling through links. Startups and ad firms are racing to place brands, products, or paid recommendations inside AI generated responses, but there is no clear model yet for how valuable or effective those placements will be. Unlike traditional search ads, AI answers often give a single response, leaving far less room for multiple advertisers to compete for attention. This uncertainty has turned monetization into a billion dollar question for both AI companies and marketers, especially as AI search threatens Google’s long established ad business. Investors and advertisers are betting big, but it remains unclear whether AI search marketing will become a stable revenue engine or a risky experiment.
