Forget Skynet.
The robot revolution will be fought between large ad platforms (mainly Google, Meta and Amazon) trying to woo advertisers with generative AI and promises of better performance.
Less than two weeks ago, Meta added new machine learning tools to Advantage+ and debuted a new product called the AI Sandbox that advertisers can use to test experimental generative AI advertising features.
In late April, the Amazon released a systemwide upgrade for its machine learning and predictive algorithms.
And, on Tuesday, at its annual Google Marketing Live event, Google announced an assortment of AI-powered ad products and marketing tools, including the addition of generative AI to Performance Max.
With so much activity in such a short time span, it might feel like AI only recently burst onto the scene. But artificial intelligence has been “foundational to our ad products for over a decade,” Dan Taylor, Google’s VP of ads, told reporters during a press briefing on Monday.
Still, it’s early days for generative AI in search, marketing and at the junction between the two.
“It’s an experiment inside of an experiment,” Taylor said.
Making conversation
One such experiment is a conversational assistant within Google Ads that will allow advertisers to develop creative assets, come up with headlines and choose the best keywords by chatting with its AI in natural language.
The experience, which enters beta soon, uses large language models and generative AI technology to process the responses provided by advertisers and guide them through a workflow.
Google will crawl an advertiser’s website, use AI to summarize the brand’s main value proposition and automatically generate relevant keywords, text headlines, product descriptions and visual suggestions for ads. Advertisers will have the opportunity to make corrections and enhancements along the way in chat form.
“This is really a dialogue,” said Brian Burdick, Google’s senior director of ad automation. “Advertisers have full control over which keywords and assets are ultimately deployed as part of their campaign, and they can review and edit accordingly as the system generates content.”
AI to the Max
As for what happens to all this AI-generated ad content, you’ll soon be seeing it show up across all of Google’s properties thanks to Performance Max, which is being prepared for beta testing.
PMax (which is what the cool kids call it … I think) has been on the market for more than a year. It uses machine learning to automatically optimize bids and placements based on whatever is most likely to drive performance, whether that’s search, Gmail, Maps, YouTube, Discover or the Google Display Network.
Google is already running an English language open beta for integrating AI-generated search and shopping ads directly into regular search results, with plans to expand to more languages later this year.
For example, its AI can automatically adapt the text of a search ad based on the context of a query so it’s optimally appealing to the searcher.
Google is also playing around with what displaying a sponsored ad could look like within its still experimental AI-based search experiences, such as “AI Snapshot.”
AI Snapshot is an early-stage feature that serves up an AI-generated summary of indexed information in response to a query at the top of a search page above the familiar list of blue links.
For example, a search for “Is it easy for kids to learn surfing in Maui?” might generate two or three brief paragraphs about how challenging it is to surf there, a handful of organic links to content and, finally, a clearly marked sponsored link to book a private surf lesson.
“As the future of search evolves with experiences like this, the future of advertising will evolve, too,” Taylor said. “We think it brings more opportunities to grow businesses and showcase brands.”
Going with the workflow
But what about creatives and agency folks – you know, the people with the graphic design degrees? Gotta ask.
Although AI-generated content is positioned as a time and energy saver, it also raises valid questions about the future of human creativity.
But the fact is, advertisers and agencies are already using and getting value out of AI-based tools to help with scale and enhance their own creative capabilities, Taylor said. Fear is the mind killer.
“I really see it as another tool for the marketer’s toolkit,” he said. “What we’re trying to do with our generative AI experiences and Google Ads is make these assistive tools directly available within our workflows.”
