Google to take on agencies with AI creative services

Google is plotting a major assault on the agency market with the launch a generative artificial intelligence advertising service, designed to “unlocking a world of creativity” and create AI-powered ads for brand owners.

According to an internal presentation to advertisers seen by the Financial Times, the Alphabet-owned business will base the campaigns on materials provided by human marketers.

Google already uses AI in its ad business to create prompts that encourage users to buy products. However, the firm claims that integration of its latest generative AI, which also powers its Bard chatbot, will allow it produce far more sophisticated campaigns to rival those created by marketing agencies.

According to the FT report, advertisers can supply “creative” content such as imagery, video and text relating to a particular campaign. The AI will then “remix” this material to generate ads based on the audience it aims to reach, as well as other goals such as sales targets.

The company is also putting measures in place to avoid issues around misinformation, falsehoods and racial and gender biases which have plagued some AI tech.

While many commentators have insisted that no AI can write as well as a human, it seems chief marketing officers simply cannot wait to adopt the technology.

In a recent Accenture report, the technology was seen as a way to advance human capability as a co-pilot, creative partner or advisor, with nearly all executives agreeing that generative AI will spark significant creativity and innovation (98%) and usher in a new era of enterprise intelligence (95%).

And according to the fourth annual CMO survey carried out by Chief Outsiders, marketers view AI and machine learning as revolutionary, insisting this will be “game changing technology” in 2023, and it will have the most impact on marketing regarding customer targeting and modelling customer behaviour.

At the time the report was published, Chief Outsiders CMO and co-principal Pete Hayes said: “Marketing professionals should embrace AI for the many ways the technology can help them serve their clients efficiently.

“AI will not replace experienced marketers and everything they have to offer their clients, but marketers who are versed in AI will replace those who do not understand the technology.”