Google is introducing a feature that tells users when an advertisement they are viewing was created or edited using artificial intelligence. The move matters because AI increasingly allows businesses to generate product imagery and brand scenes cheaply, which can mislead consumers who may not realise they are not looking at a genuine photograph. Although Google already bans deceptive ads, until now it had required AI disclosure only for election-related advertising.

The disclosure will appear in the "My Ad Center" panel, accessible globally via the three-dot menu or info icon on ads shown across Google Search, YouTube and Google Discover. A new "How this ad was made" option will indicate whether AI was involved. Disclosures are enabled automatically when advertisers use Google's own generative AI tools, but for ads made elsewhere advertisers must self-declare AI use, as Google will not verify the claims itself. Some ads may also be labelled where local law requires it.