Google has added a new transparency feature to its My Ad Center that lets users see whether an advertisement was created or edited with artificial intelligence. The move, announced July 10, 2026, gives advertisers new disclosure controls and signals a tighter link between AI-generated content and consumer trust across Search, YouTube, and Discover.
How the disclosure will appear
A "How this ad was made" section will appear in the My Ad Center panel, which users access by clicking the three-dot menu or information icon on an ad. The label will clearly state if generative AI was involved in producing or modifying the advertisement. Google said it will automatically apply the disclosure to ads made with its own generative AI advertising tools. For ads created using AI tools from other providers, advertisers can use a new control to indicate AI was used.
Google will not independently verify the AI involvement for ads produced outside its own tools. It also said that, depending on local laws, AI labels may appear directly on the ad itself, either automatically or when the advertiser enables the disclosure control.
What advertisers need to know
The update does not change Google's existing ad policies. Misleading or deceptive ads remain prohibited, whether AI-generated or not. Advertiser verification measures that help users identify who is behind an ad stay in place. The company stressed that the new feature builds on earlier transparency efforts, including invisible identifiers like SynthID in its generative AI outputs and a 2023 requirement for election advertisers to disclose synthetic or digitally altered content.
As businesses increasingly adopt AI for Marketing, the line between traditional and AI-generated creative is blurring. Google's automatic tagging for its own tools means marketers who use those platforms won't need to take extra steps to comply. Those mixing in external AI tools will need to decide when to flag their ads manually.
Why this matters for marketing professionals
Marketers who rely on generative AI for visuals, product placement, and scaled content production now face a new disclosure layer that consumers will see. The feature makes AI's role in an ad visible to anyone who checks, which could affect how audiences judge authenticity and credibility. The practical takeaway is clear: test your ad campaigns in My Ad Center to understand exactly what the disclosure looks like, and get comfortable with the manual control if you use non-Google AI tools. Trust is a variable you can't manage if you don't know what the buyer is seeing.
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