Google and Omnicom Launch AI System to Test YouTube Ads Before They Run
Omnicom Advertising and Google launched an AI system in April that analyzes YouTube advertisements before they go live, providing creative directors with specific feedback on how to improve performance. The tool combines Google's ABCD framework-a model that scores ads on attention, branding, connection, and direction-with Omnicom's proprietary system called Brave Bot.
The system is being piloted in the Africa, Middle East and Turkiye region. Creatives upload a storyboard or early video cut, and the AI returns actionable suggestions for improvement.
How It Works
The system has three layers. The first uses Google's ABCD framework. The second layer is Brave Bot, which evaluates distinctiveness, cultural relevance, and whether an ad breaks conventions. A third layer adds regional cultural intelligence specific to the Middle East, Africa, and Turkiye market.
Noah Khan, chief innovation officer at Omnicom Advertising for Central and Eastern Europe and Africa and the Middle East, said the system helps creatives move from "I think" to "I know." Clients can use this data to justify creative decisions internally and secure funding.
Teams can engage one layer or all three, depending on their needs. The feedback is designed to be specific and immediately usable.
Why the Middle East
The region has more than 200 million YouTube users daily across nearly 200 nationalities and languages. This audience diversity made it an ideal testing ground for a system designed to work across different cultural contexts.
Aishi Lahiri, director of advertising solutions at Google Middle East and North Africa, said the project emerged from the region itself rather than being imposed from elsewhere. "The appetite for pioneering new territory is what made this the only place a project like this could emerge," Lahiri said.
In Saudi Arabia alone, YouTube reaches approximately 27.5 million users-nearly 80 percent of the population-making it one of the world's highest-penetration markets.
The Brave Bot Name
Brave Bot is named after Lee Clow, the advertising figure behind Apple's 1984 campaign. Clow wrote a 2018 manifesto titled "Do the Brave Thing" when he stepped down as chairman and chief creative officer of TBWA, Omnicom's creative agency.
Khan said Brave Bot is trained on decades of Omnicom's best creative work. The system responds in a tone similar to Gordon Ramsay-pointed and tongue-in-cheek-to make interaction feel less mechanical and more conversational.
AI as Tool, Not Replacement
Both Google and Omnicom emphasized that the system is designed to support creatives, not replace them. Lahiri said the technology gives creative professionals more room to take risks, not fewer. "When the baseline science of attention and branding is taken care of, we give creative professionals a lot more room to actually raise the bar themselves," he said.
Khan described the tools as "supplementary elements" that accelerate creative thinking at scale. "The way I see the use of AI is to very much work as a creative partner, not a creative replacement," he said.
Khan pointed to Apple's 2025 Christmas advertisement-made entirely by hand with puppets and puppeteers-as evidence that human-made work still stands out. "Great work will stand up and stand out for itself," he said.
What This Means for Audiences
Lahiri said the system should result in better ads for viewers. "More helpful, relevant and engaging ads that actually resonate," he said.
For marketers, the question is increasingly not just who reaches audiences, but who controls the tools that shape what gets made and how it is optimized. The Middle East has become a testing ground for ad-tech innovation in recent years. During the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Coca-Cola Arabia and EssenceMediacom used Google's AI-powered Ads Creative Studio to generate more than 30 personalized video ads in Saudi Arabia, reporting gains in view-through rate and sales volume.
Looking Ahead
Khan sees the pendulum swinging back toward human creativity over the next decade. "I think there will be greater value for human-made creative output than ever before," he said.
For creatives looking to work with these tools, understanding how AI can support-rather than automate-your process will be essential. AI Design Courses and Generative Art Training can help you develop skills in using AI systems to enhance your creative work.
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