If you manage PPC campaigns, you’ve seen it. Platforms are making more decisions without asking you first.
Campaign types keep consolidating into AI-first formats like Performance Max and Demand Gen. The granular controls you used to rely on keep disappearing or moving behind automation.
A year ago, Performance Max still felt experimental. Now it’s often the default option, with AI generating ad copy, and automation selecting audiences based on signals you can’t always see. When performance drops, you have fewer levers to pull and less visibility into what’s actually happening.
It can be disorienting to some, and the trend isn’t reversing.
We asked PPC professionals how they’re navigating this shift. Most aren’t pessimistic about AI-first campaigns. Many have found ways to work with platform automation without surrendering the strategic thinking that drives results.
You can use AI tools without losing your expertise in the process.
4 Key Findings From Industry Professionals
We surveyed professionals from agency, platform, and consultancy backgrounds for this year’s report. Clear patterns emerged in how they’re adapting to AI-first campaign management.
1. AI Tools Save Time But Still Need Babysitting
Most professionals now use AI daily for tasks like keyword research and ad copy variations. The tools are good enough to integrate into workflows.
But there’s a catch. Over half identify “inaccurate, unreliable, or inconsistent output quality” as the biggest limitation. AI accelerates production, but it hasn’t replaced the need for human oversight.
One contributor noted that in regulated industries where legal review is required, AI outputs often can’t be used without heavy editing.
The professionals who get results are the ones treating AI as an assistant, not a replacement.
2. “Control” Means Something Different Now
You can’t control exact search terms the way you used to. You can’t set precise bids on individual keywords or force campaigns to follow rigid parameters.
Several contributors argue you still have meaningful control, it just operates differently than before. One Google Ads coach compared it to giving a teenager the destination address and trusting they can navigate there, even if they take a few wrong turns along the way.
The new version of control means setting clear business objectives and providing high-quality conversion data. If your conversion tracking is messy or incomplete, AI will optimize toward the wrong goals.
3. Measurement Got More Honest (And More Uncomfortable)
Cookie deprecation was canceled in Chrome, but measurement challenges haven’t disappeared. What’s changed is how practitioners talk about attribution.
One agency founder admitted that focusing too heavily on perfect attribution might have been a strategic mistake. “Your marketing strategy should hold up even if granular tracking disappears.”
Other contributors emphasize that first-party data collection with proper consent is now essential for survival, especially in lead generation models.
Revenue remains the most reliable source of truth when platform-reported metrics conflict.
The most durable measurement approach involves choosing a limited set of reliable lenses rather than attempting to reconcile data from every available source.
4. Platform-Generated Creative Performs Better Than You’d Think
This finding surprises people. Several contributors report that AI-generated creative assets can perform competitively with human-created versions when they’re prompted effectively.
But “when prompted effectively” is doing substantial work in that sentence.
Quality depends heavily on how well you prompt the tools and how much brand context you provide. The tools still struggle with maintaining consistent brand voice and meeting legal compliance requirements in regulated industries.
Visual generation continues to need improvement, though contributors note it’s getting better for ecommerce product photography.
Most teams have settled on a hybrid workflow where AI handles idea generation and creates variations while humans manage final approval and anything requiring nuanced brand voice.
What Makes This Report Different
Previous years focused on specific platform changes or new features. This year’s questions dig into strategy.
How do you maintain visibility when platforms reduce transparency? What measurement techniques still work when attribution is murky? How do you adapt creative workflows when AI can generate assets on demand?
The contributors include:
- Brooke Osmundson, Director of Growth Marketing, Smith Micro Software.
- Gil Gildner, Agency Co-Founder, Discosloth.
- Navah Hopkins, Product Liaison, Microsoft.
- Jonathan Kagan, Director of Search & Media Strategy, Amsive.
- Mike Ryan, Head of Ecommerce Insights, Smarter Ecommerce.
- Jyll Saskin Gales, Google Ads Coach, Inside Google Ads.
The answers reflect an industry adapting in real time. Some contributors have embraced AI-first workflows fully, while others remain cautious about surrendering too much control. All are experimenting constantly because the platforms aren’t slowing down.
Why Download This Now
If you’re managing campaigns, you’re already wrestling with these challenges. Are you approaching them with a clear strategy, or just reacting to each platform change as it happens?
This report will show you how experienced professionals at agencies, platforms, and consultancies are thinking through the same problems you’re facing right now.
Download PPC Trends 2026 to see how industry professionals are adapting their strategies, maintaining accountability in automated campaigns, and finding ways to make AI-first advertising work without losing the strategic expertise that separates successful campaigns from mediocre ones.
Featured Image: Paulo Bobita/Search Engine Journal
