Google wants to target you – yes, YOU – with AI-generated ads
- Reference: 1685014392
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/05/25/google_ai_ads/
- Source link:
The Alphabet-owned ad giant is ramping up efforts to inject more AI into its core business areas – such as internet search and digital adverts – as it faces challenges to its dominance.
Jerry Dischler, general manager of Google Ads, pointed out Google has been using machine-learning systems in advertising for a while. Algorithms and neural networks power its Smart Bidding and Performance Max features, for example, to help automate some processes for advertisers and optimize different metrics to capture audiences. It's been rolling out so-called [1]automatically created assets since last year, which can offer machine-made titles and copy for web ads.
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"AI is foundational to Google Ads. For many years, it has been quietly helping in the background, supporting advertisers in maximizing their time and return on investment," Dischler [3]explained in a blog post .
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Now, Google is planning to push more generative AI capabilities into the hands of its digital advertisers. Advertisers need only provide a link to a landing page on their website describing their product or service, and Google's systems will do the rest – automatically producing ad content based on that input.
Or so it's claimed.
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This is how it'll apparently work in practice: Google's Performance Max tools will analyze a supplied landing page to generate appropriate headlines, text descriptions, and images to use in Google-served web ads. Advertisers can review these suggested designs, and edit and pick the right text or images to customize the final look. These ads are then shown to Google's users when they search using keywords automatically identified by the internet giant as most relevant to the advertiser.
"We're bringing generative AI to Performance Max to make it even easier for you to create custom assets and scale them in a few clicks. Just provide your website and Google AI will start learning about your brand to populate your campaign with text and other relevant assets. We'll even suggest new images generated just for you, helping you stand out to customers across a wider range of inventory and formats," Dischler explained.
[7]Google backs Bard to generate ads, which apparently improves creativity
[8]Of course Facebook will monetize an ad-generating AI
[9]Meta develops AI targeting system to show housing ads to wider range of users
[10]Misinformation tracker warns 'new generation' of AI-scribed content farms on the rise
A Google search for "skin care for dry sensitive skin," for example, would display ads from skincare brands with headlines generated by AI to match the user's queries. In this case, the title of the served ad might be "Soothe Your Dry, Sensitive Skin" alongside pictures of people applying lotions.
To us it seems that advertisers can steer the overall appearance of their ads, based on their site content, and then when people use search keywords that match an ad, it is optimized to suit their query and displayed. So not only is it automatically generated, it's also automatically targeted in a more narrow, focused manner – which might get people clicking on them more, if they're not blocking the banners.
Dischler opined that Performance Max already improves businesses' conversion rates – the rate at which clicks on an ad actually lead to something tangible, like a product sale or a newsletter signup. The higher the rate, the more effective the ad. Google believes the rate will be boosted further with the help of generative AI, since it will help advertisers create personalized ads.
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If someone is looking for "outdoor activities to do in Maui" and has also searched for "activities for kids" and "surfing", for example, Google's ad tools could generate a custom advert to promote a local company offering surfing lessons for children in Hawaii, for instance.
"As always, we're committed to transparency and making ads distinguishable from organic search results. When Search ads do appear, they will continue to feature our industry-leading clear and transparent ad labels with the 'Sponsored' label in bold black text," Dischler promised.
[12]Meta and [13]Amazon are also reportedly incorporating generative AI tools to create adverts on their own platforms. This may not end well. ®
Bootnote
Google's YouTube [14]lately started asking some people to remove their ad blockers when watching videos. Now it's [15]talking about bringing unskippable 30-second adverts to those watching the 'Tube on their TVs.
Get our [16]Tech Resources
[1] https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/11259373
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZG@GKEUpqVDfiFj3aC1-AQAAAE0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://blog.google/products/ads-commerce/ai-powered-ads-google-marketing-live/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZG@GKEUpqVDfiFj3aC1-AQAAAE0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZG@GKEUpqVDfiFj3aC1-AQAAAE0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZG@GKEUpqVDfiFj3aC1-AQAAAE0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2023/04/21/google_bard_ai/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2023/04/05/meta_ai_commercial_adverts/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/11/meta_ai_advertising_doj/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/02/ai_written_content_farms/
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZG@GKEUpqVDfiFj3aC1-AQAAAE0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://www.facebook.com/business/news/introducing-ai-sandbox-and-expanding-meta-advantage-suite
[13] https://www.theinformation.com/articles/amazon-plans-to-generate-photos-and-videos-for-advertisers-using-ai
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/10/youtube_ad_blockers/
[15] https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/youtube-upfront-2023-unskippable-30-second-ads-tvs-sunday-ticket-1235616175/
[16] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
So Google builds a profile of me ...
would this not count as personal data and thus have to be regulated by the GDPR ?
Somehow Google seems to consider itself as not having to bother with this. It is not just using the search engine that profiles us but also things like google analytics that is on most web sites without asking for permission (including el-Reg - tsk, tsk).
However the UK government seems bent on watering data protection laws down and anyway the ICO is a bit of a chocolate teapot.
Re: So Google builds a profile of me ...
>things like google analytics that is on most web sites without asking for permission (including el-Reg - tsk, tsk).
El Reg works well enough for me with Google Analytics (is that really a word?) blocked.
Re: So Google builds a profile of me ...
Don't forget googlesyndication.com and googletagmanager.com
Re: So Google builds a profile of me ...
El Reg works well enough for me with Google Analytics (is that really a word?) blocked.
As do I (well, map it to 127.1.1.1). Maybe an El-Reg hack would like to add a comment below saying why it needs Javascript from: www.googletagmanager.com www.google-analytics.com pagead2.googlesyndication.com
I remember a number of years ago searching on google for the keyword ‘Uranium’, I was probably interested in some information
I remember seeing a sponsored listing from eBay that basically said “Buy Uranium on eBay”
Nah, that's just automatic ad creation engines, it's quite common. Make a search for "Higgs Boson" and chances are you'll see search results like "Buy cheap Higgs Bosons at ...".
Where do you think CERN found it? On Amazon, free delivery.
I suppose it's all moot for me personally?
With Adblock plus and Noscript that is.
Or will they somehow use AI in the ad blocker arms race?
Re: I suppose it's all moot for me personally?
Or will they somehow use AI in the ad blocker arms race?
Probably. A few days ago, I fired up YT in Firefox and it disabled all my extensions. I don't recall giving AlphaGoo authorisation to disable security services on my PC, so I'm not entirely convinced this is legal. But then AlphaGoo doesn't care about what's ethical, moral or legal.
It also doesn't care about it's advertisers. If it did, there would be a way to alter recommedations with a prominent FOAD button to indicate that you have zero interest in their recommendations. I'd really love to know how AlphaGoo think that works because it never seems to have any idea about what I'm actually interested in.
Re: "A few days ago, I fired up YT in Firefox and it disabled all my extensions."
Very awkward
I don't think any site is granted permissions in Firefox to mess with extensions, it's quite the opposite
Are you sure it was in Firefox?
Re: "A few days ago, I fired up YT in Firefox and it disabled all my extensions."
Are you sure it was in Firefox?
Absolutely. It's the only browser I really use. The extensions had been working in other tabs, but as soon as I went to YT, they were gone. All were set to disabled, and I was prompted with an offer to make the pain go away by paying for YT 'Red'. Strange thing was I'd closed Firefox on a vid I was planning to watch rather than it's useless 'recommedations' page. It played that vid for <1s then cut to telling me I had 1:30s or so of ads, starting with a dubious looking one for some finance thing.
But on this point.. Anyone know any good app logging tools so if this happens again, I might be able to capture what happened? I also did the usual malware scans to see if anything else may have been to blame, but those all came back clean.
How not to ...
" Google's Performance Max tools will analyze a supplied landing page to generate appropriate headlines, text descriptions, and images to use in Google-served web ads "
The essence of good advertising has always been creating a message that strikes an emotional chord by saying or implying much more than just headlines and descriptions can offer. The proposed approach is highly unlikely to be able to produce anything but the most banal and ineffectual advertising. But of course Goooooooogle won't care whether it's effective as they get paid even if it's not and it's pretty hard for the advertiser to pin them down. The well documented poor return for advertisers on the current auction based ad placement already demonstrates this. The problem of course is that nobody dare not advertise these days, so lousy is safer than none despite the cost.
Bring it
My complaint about adverts is the proliferation of the bloody things.
As to those generated by AI, I'm not bothered. Companies that have my information and know my entire purchase history make such a piss poor attempt at serving up items of interest (oh, you just bought a shaver, we think you'd be interested in a new shaver... or here's a money off coupon for nappies despite having exactly zero history of anything to do with babies) that AI can hardly do a worse job.
they'll be sorely disappointed...
Yes, I have all those great extensions, and a PIHole on my home network.... so, even if they get my search history, they will be very disappointed. Most of my searches these days are for "what else did this actor star in?" "What other bands did this musician play in?" "What are the definitions of this word?"
Re: they'll be sorely disappointed...
AI response: "You may be interested in movie XYZ from Netflix which featured actor X with backing music made by musician Y. You can subscribe to Netflix now and get a monthly saving of Z and download your film for 25% off the usual price! BUY NOW!"
"Hey Google, change my default search engine to DuckDuckGo."
"And then disable Google assistant."
Re: "Hey Google, change my default search engine to DuckDuckGo."
Why, you haven't done it yet years ago?
Google stopped being cool and got increasingly creepy some time back in the noughts. Used Froggle till it got squashed, then used the privacy-conscious search engines of the moment.
H*ll f*ck NO!
Ramping up adblocking... while we can!