Google adds AI disclosure labels to ads across Search, Discover and YouTube
Google says My Ad Center will show when ads were created or edited with its generative AI tools, with manual labels for AI work made elsewhere.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
3 min read
Google is adding disclosures that tell users when an ad was made or changed with artificial intelligence. The change gives people more information about the ads they see on Google Search, Google Discover and YouTube, according to Google.
The company said Thursday that a new entry in My Ad Center will identify some ads as “created or edited with AI.” Google said the notice will appear in the “how this ad was made” section, a panel users can open from an ad’s three-dot menu or information button.
That same My Ad Center panel already lets users take actions such as blocking or reporting ads, according to Google. TechCrunch earlier reported the rollout of the AI ad disclosures.
Google said it will apply the label automatically to ads produced with its own generative AI advertising tools. Ads made with AI tools outside Google’s systems will require advertisers to add the disclosure themselves, according to the company.
In some regions, Google said the AI notice may also be shown directly on the ad. That can happen automatically or when an advertiser has manually stated that AI was used to create or edit the ad, according to Google.
How users can find the label
Google said users can open the ad information panel by selecting the three dots or the information icon on an ad. In the “how this ad was made” tab, users may see the “created or edited with AI” label if the ad falls under Google’s disclosure system.
The labels apply across three major Google ad surfaces named by the company: Search, Discover and YouTube. Google did not describe the update as a ban or restriction on AI-generated advertising; it presented the change as a transparency feature for users.
Part of a wider push on AI disclosures
Google has already added AI-related disclosures in other areas of advertising and media provenance. In 2024, the company introduced a disclosure for political ads that contain “synthetic or digitally altered content,” according to Google.
Earlier this year, Google also expanded access to SynthID and C2PA content labels, which are tools that can help identify deepfake or otherwise AI-altered material, according to the company.
Other large ad platforms have added similar signals. Meta offers an “AI info” label in its “About this ad” panel for ads on its platforms, according to Meta.
Google’s latest move comes as generative AI tools are being built into ad creation systems. The company’s approach separates ads made with Google’s own AI tools, which receive automatic labeling, from ads made with outside AI tools, where disclosure depends on advertisers applying the label manually.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.