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.
For advertisers, the change is less about adopting AI and more about documenting when it’s used. Teams relying on third-party AI tools may need to update their 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 will receive the disclosure automatically. Advertisers using third-party AI tools will need to apply the disclosure themselves through a new control in Google Ads.
Google explained:
…when they create ads elsewhere, we’re introducing a control so they can easily indicate if they used generative AI.
Google did not identify specific third-party platforms. The requirement would apply to tools outside Google’s own advertising products.
Depending on local requirements, Google says the disclosure may also appear directly on the ad instead of only within My Ad Center. The company has not said which markets will display those labels.
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.
For some organizations, that may mean updating existing approval processes 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 multiple countries may also want to monitor performance where AI disclosures appear directly on ads. Google hasn’t identified which markets will display those labels, and it’s too early to know whether they will influence user behavior.
For most advertisers, this is a relatively small workflow change. It doesn’t limit the use of third-party AI tools, but it does add another disclosure requirement that teams will need to account for before campaigns are published.
What’s Still Unclear
Google’s announcement leaves several questions unanswered.
The company says disclosures apply to ads created or edited with AI, but it does not define what qualifies as “created or edited.” It’s unclear whether minor edits made with third-party AI tools require disclosure or whether the requirement is intended for more substantially AI-generated creative.
Google also hasn’t explained how the requirement applies when multiple AI tools are used during the creative process.
Enforcement is another open question. Google has not said whether advertisers that fail to disclose third-party AI usage will receive warnings, policy violations, or ad disapprovals.
Google also hasn’t shared when advertisers will be expected to begin using the new disclosure control or whether there will be a grace period before enforcement begins.
We’ll update this article as Google provides additional guidance.
