Marketing and AI weekly roundup: AI Mode ads and Shopify Fall '26

This marketing and AI weekly roundup covers Saturday 24 to Thursday 29 October 2026, and two stories lead it. On 28 October Google took AI Mode ads to 10 more countries, and the same day Shopify shipped its Fall '26 Edition, which puts Shop Pay checkout inside AI assistants.

Are AI Mode ads available in Saudi Arabia and Egypt?

Not yet. Google said on its official blog on 28 October that ads in AI Mode are scaling to Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Singapore, with Brazil, Mexico and the UK planned for Q4 2026.

In the US, Google also launched multiturn ads, which can appear in follow-up questions within the same conversation. Every ad carries a "Sponsored" label. Google says AI Mode queries are on average three times longer than traditional searches.

Why it matters: Saudi Arabia and Egypt are not on the list, and Google has given no date for them. Unite.AI reports that existing Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns become eligible for AI Mode automatically where it runs, so write ad headlines and product descriptions that answer long, specific questions.

What's new in Shopify's Fall '26 Edition?

For merchants, the headline is Shop Pay checkout inside personal AI agents such as Muse from Meta, Claude Duet and Instinct. Shopify published the edition on 28 October. It also includes connectors for nine assistants, among them ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot and Perplexity.

A new knowledge base lets merchants review the facts these agents receive about their store before publishing them. Shopify also rebuilt Sidekick, which can now run calculations, write code and search the web, with the merchant approving every change.

Why it matters: If your store runs on Shopify, review that knowledge base now, because agents will repeat what is in it to shoppers. The announcement does not mention Saudi Arabia or Egypt, and it does not affect stores on Salla or Zid.

What is GPT-6.1 Terra and who can use it?

GPT-6.1 Terra is a fast OpenAI model released on 26 October for everyday office work such as drafting proposals, reading technical drawings, filling out forms and editing video, according to The Tech Outlook. It is available to Plus, Pro, Enterprise and Edu users in ChatGPT Work and Codex, and to developers through the API as gpt-6.1-terra.

API pricing is $1 per million input tokens and $5 per million output tokens.

Why it matters: If your team writes quotes or fills in forms in ChatGPT Work, try Terra on one repeated task this week and time it. If you are building an automated WhatsApp reply on the API, you can now work out the cost per conversation before you commit.

Can you text ChatGPT from your phone's messaging app?

Yes, if you use the dot feature. 9to5Mac reported on 28 October that OpenAI now lets people text their dot, the agent that sends users updates on its own, over iMessage or RCS in the Messages app.

You switch it on from the dot's profile by choosing "Texting". OpenAI says this does not give the dot or OpenAI access to your other text conversations. The report does not say which plans or countries get it.

Why it matters: Assistants now reach people inside their messaging app, outside the ChatGPT app. Put your opening hours, prices and address on your website as plain text so any assistant can pass them on correctly.

What happens to existing Meta ads after 28 October?

Meta is adding product browsing to ads already running on Facebook and Instagram from 28 October 2026, unless the advertiser opted out first, according to the notice reported by PPC Land. When someone taps the ad, they may see product details and suggestions inside the app before they reach your site.

Meta bases the change on a test run from 6 to 21 August 2026, in which it says advertisers saw 3% more conversions on average. The suggestions on that page can include products you do not control.

Why it matters: If you measure sales from visits to your own site, open the Advantage+ Creative and Destination settings on each ad and decide whether to keep the feature. The notice does not say which countries or ad types are covered, so check your own account.

What did HUE publish this week?

We published three articles on other stories from the same week:

• Meta's commercial terms move to 20 November: what to review on your website before then.
• Gemini tools for small businesses: what is available in Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
• Customer lifecycle goals in Google Ads: three updates for keeping customers.