Google Ads is introducing a new disclosure requirement for advertisers using generative AI.
The update adds AI transparency labels to ads across Search, YouTube, and Discover. It also requires advertisers using third-party AI tools to disclose when AI was used to create or edit an ad.
The new requirement may prompt some advertisers to update their creative review process before campaigns go live.
How The New AI Disclosure Works
Google is adding a new “How this ad was made” section to the My Ad Center panel.
Users can open the panel from the three-dot menu or information icon on ads across Search, YouTube, and Discover. The panel will indicate whether generative AI was used to create or edit the ad.
How that disclosure appears depends on which AI tools were used.
Ads created with Google’s generative AI advertising tools receive the disclosure automatically. Advertisers using generative AI tools outside Google’s advertising products must apply the disclosure themselves through a new control.
Google explained:
…when they create ads elsewhere, we’re introducing a control so they can easily indicate if they used generative AI.
The feature is rolling out gradually throughout July across Google Ads, Display & Video 360, Campaign Manager 360, Merchant Center, and Ads Editor.
Depending on local transparency requirements, the disclosure may also appear directly on the ad itself. Google says those labels will appear in jurisdictions where they’re required by law, including the European Union, India, and New York State.
The disclosures also apply to Google-served ads appearing on third-party websites. Users can access the same “How this ad was made” information through the AdChoices icon or the three-dot menu.
What This Means For Advertisers
Many advertisers already use generative AI to write copy, generate images, or edit creative before it reaches Google Ads.
The new requirement means teams will also need to document when those tools were used. That information may not be readily available if creative production and campaign management are handled by different people or different teams.
Google says advertisers are ultimately responsible for determining when AI use requires a disclosure and for ensuring their campaigns comply with applicable local laws.
Some organizations may need to update their approval process so AI usage is documented before campaigns go live. Agencies may also need to confirm whether client-supplied creative used third-party AI tools before publishing ads.
Advertisers running campaigns in markets where AI labels appear directly on ads may also want to monitor performance over time. It remains to be seen whether those disclosures influence user behavior, but they introduce another factor advertisers may want to evaluate as data becomes available.
For full information about the AI disclosures, make sure to review Google’s Help Center.
We’ll update this article as Google shares additional guidance.
