Google is now serving regular pure Search campaigns with restrictive match types in AI Mode, according to multiple tests confirmed by Anthony Higman on LinkedIn.
Ginny Marvin, Google’s Ads Liaison, confirmed that exact and phrase match keywords in regular Search campaigns are eligible to serve text ads in AI Mode. However, this is limited to searches where Google identifies explicit and direct user intent. For more complex conversational queries, Google is positioning AI Max and Performance Max for Search as the solutions designed to capture that intent and access newer ad formats such as Highlighted Answers.