Google announced in July 2026 that users can now see whether ads on Google Search, Google Discover, and YouTube were made or edited using artificial intelligence. The disclosure appears in a new “created or edited with AI” label under the “how this ad was made” tab inside Google’s My Ad Center.
To access the label, users tap the three dots or info button on an ad, which opens the same panel where ads can also be blocked or reported. Google says it will automatically apply the AI label to ads created with its own generative AI advertising tools. Ads produced using AI tools from other sources will require advertisers to apply the label manually.
In some regions, the AI label may also appear directly on the ad itself — either automatically or when an advertiser voluntarily discloses that AI was used in the ad’s creation.
The update is not without precedent. Meta already features a similar “AI info” label in the “About this ad” panel on its platforms. Google itself introduced a disclosure requirement for “synthetic or digitally altered content” in political ads in 2024, and earlier in 2026 expanded access to SynthID and C2PA content labels, which are designed to help identify deepfake content.
The new labeling system could give consumers more visibility into how the advertising they encounter is produced, particularly as AI-generated content becomes more common across digital platforms. However, its effectiveness may depend in part on how consistently advertisers outside Google’s own tools apply the label manually.
Source: The Verge