Google Scales AI Search Ads Globally as Anthropic and OpenAI Back Law

Google announced on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026 that it is expanding advertisements inside AI Overviews and AI Mode to international markets for the first time as core search ad growth moderates, even as Anthropic and OpenAI sent letters to California Gov. Gavin Newsom seeking support for AI regulation legislation, Instagram head Adam Mosseri warned that creator backlash against AI will intensify, and Akai previewed open-source firmware for its upcoming MPC Sample Key, according to reports from TechCrunch, KCBS Radio, and The Verge (Instagram report and Akai hardware report).

Google Scales AI Mode Ads Globally as Search Growth Moderates to 12%

During Alphabet's third-quarter (Q3) 2026 earnings call—where total quarterly revenue rose 25% year over year to $127.6 billion, Google Services revenue increased 11% to $96.3 billion, Google Cloud revenue surged 103% to $30.7 billion, and Alphabet shares slipped 8%—Google reported that Search advertising revenue grew 12% year over year in Q3, decelerating from 17% growth in Q2 and 19% in Q1, according to TechCrunch reporter Lauren Forristal.

Google Chief Business Officer Philipp Schindler told investors that the company is now scaling ads inside AI Overviews in AI Mode to international markets alongside multi-turn ads in the United States, noting that click-through rates for sponsored product listings in AI Mode already match organic listings. CEO Sundar Pichai added that overall Search queries grew at their fastest pace in 5 years, with AI Mode queries averaging 3 times the length of traditional searches, 1 in 5 AI Mode queries globally using voice, images, or documents, and visual searches surpassing 50 billion per month following the release of Gemini 4 Argon, the Pixel 11 lineup, and 1 billion monthly users on the Gemini app.

Anthropic and OpenAI Petition Gov. Gavin Newsom on California AI Legislation

In Sacramento, Anthropic (maker of the Claude chatbot) and OpenAI (maker of ChatGPT) sent formal letters to California Gov. Gavin Newsom asking for his support in backing state legislation to regulate the artificial intelligence industry, following an executive order issued by Newsom last month, according to a KCBS Radio report featuring anchor Rebecca Goodeyon and political insider Phil Matier.

Instagram’s Adam Mosseri Mandates AI Labels While Akai Opens MPC Sample Key Firmware

Across consumer platforms and creative hardware, Instagram head Adam Mosseri told the Colin and Samir podcast on Wednesday (as reported by The Verge's Stevie Bonifield) that anxiety, frustration, and anger toward AI across creative industries are "going to continue to get worse" over the next couple of years due to fears of content training, job displacement, and "a fear of being left behind in some way." While calling a blanket ban on AI content impractical and saying the term "AI slop" is used too liberally, Mosseri confirmed Instagram is now requiring AI accounts to label themselves following an August crackdown on AI-generated profiles.

In the music hardware sector, The Verge weekend editor Terrence O’Brien (who has covered tech for over 18 years) reported that Akai and parent company inMusic CEO Jack O’Donnell are seeding early units of the unannounced MPC Sample Key—a keyboard-only sampler with pitch and mod wheels that omits the drum pads found on the MPC Key 37—to hackers and custom firmware modders with an open-source firmware platform and software development kit (SDK). Instagram Reels posted by Akai showed the MPC Sample Key and standard MPC Sample running "vibe-coded" virtual analog, FM, and Native Instruments Massive synthesizers—including custom synths built with Claude.