Google LLC has introduced a set of generative artificial intelligence tools that will make it easier for brands to launch online advertising campaigns.

The tools made their debut at the search giant’s annual Google Marketing Live event, which took place today in San Francisco. They join the growing list of generative AI features that the company has announced in recent months.

The first of the enhancements announced today is rolling out for Google Ads, which brands use to run ads across the Alphabet Inc. unit’s search engine and third-party websites. Google is adding a generative AI tool that will ease the task of creating ad copy. According to the search giant, it can automatically generate promotional text based on existing content on a brand’s website.

An online bicycle retailer, for example, could provide the tool with a link to a product page that describes a mountain bike. Using the information from that page, the tool can generate multiple ad headlines and descriptions. The online retailer’s marketing team can then pick the most suitable text snippets.

According to Google, its newly debuted AI tools will not only generate ad copy but also customize that copy to individual users. The software could, for example, add the word “affordable” to the text of a mountain bike ad when displaying it to users who are browsing entry-level options.

Google is also seeking to ease other aspects of online advertising campaigns. The search giant is rolling out a new design tool, called Product Studio, that allows marketers to change the background of a product image with natural language prompts. Moreover, the tool can automatically increase images’ resolution.

Google envisions brands applying the tool to multiple use cases. With Product Studio, a retailer that sells several different versions of a product could quickly create separate images for each edition. Marketers can also use the tool to test multiple variations of an ad until finding the one that drives the most sales. 

As part of the update announced today, Google will also enhance an existing AI-powered advertising tool called Performance Max. Originally introduced in 2020, it allows brands to run ads across Google Search and several of the company’s other services. Performance Max is gaining generative AI features that will enable brands to automatically generate text and images for ads.

“Just provide your website and Google AI will start learning about your brand to populate your campaign with text and other relevant assets,” Jerry Dischler, Google’s vice president and general manager of ads, wrote in a blog post. “We’ll even suggest new images generated just for you, helping you stand out to customers across a wider range of inventory and formats.”

Google plans to integrate generative AI into not only its ad tools but also its flagship search engine. Earlier this year, the company previewed an experimental version of Google Search that displays AI-generated answers to user queries above the standard results. When users look up a product, the feature finds e-commerce listings that match the description.

At Google Marketing Live today, the company disclosed plans to integrate ads into AI-generated search results. Promotions will be customized according to each user query. For example, if a consumer uses Google’s AI search feature to compare travel backpacks from a certain brand, the ads might display similar merchandise made by other manufacturers. 

Photo: Google