Yes, they are running images in/beside some ads, at least on the G serps. I haven't seen any of those on website/publisher pages though.

I just did a search for a football related protective headgear item and the images showed up.

What happen if my current design is very similar to that kind of images beside ads, but images and text? Should I remove the AdSense in the future if G decide to change in order to avoid possible confusion?

I imagine that I will capable to choose the type, like now, to be displayed in my site and not infringe any future G TOS.

I have also seen stars next to an ad