Advertisers have steadily ramped up the use of AI tools in creating ads you see when perusing the internet. In response to this trend, Google announced a new feature on Thursday that's geared toward helping people identify when an ad was made using generative AI.
In Google's My Ad Center panel, a new "How this ad was made" section has been added to help you find out whether an ad was created or edited using AI. You can access this panel by clicking the three-dot menu or info icon on ads, whether using Search, YouTube or Discover.
AI has helped advertisers streamline the production process: Businesses can connect their ads with consumers while cutting costs and having access to creative choices that may have seemed previously out of reach.
That said, the end result could lead to unwanted confusion. What happens if you see an ad online that shows a product in a situation or environment, only to learn that it wasn't real? Would you still be interested in making a purchase?
Google says that when advertisers use generative AI tools to create an ad, a disclosure regarding this new regulation will be surfaced in each ad's My Ad Center panel. If an ad is created on another platform, Google will still provide transparency controls so the advertiser can state whether AI was used in its creation, which will inform the label that appears directly on the ad.
That last part depends on whether the advertiser wants to go through this labeling process in the first place. Google will not actively verify an ad's label in situations like this. However, depending on local law, an ad may be marked with an AI label if required.
Advertisers are responsible for accurately labeling their ads and complying with any local laws, a Google spokesperson told CNET.
This is the latest in Google's efforts to increase transparency around AI. In May, the company introduced SynthID, an invisible watermarking system that helps identify AI-generated content, further bolstering the capabilities of Google's Gemini AI assistant.