Are experts using AI content in PPC? How are they reacting to AI-generated content? What is their biggest concern about AI-generated content & images? host Julie F Bacchini sought answers to all these questions during this week’s PPCChat discussion.
Q1: Are you currently using any AI-generated content in your PPC (ads, assets, videos, images, landing page content, etc.)? If so, what are you using and how is it going? If not, why not?
I am not currently using any AI-generated content in any ad strategy. While I am sure there are some use cases for it (I could see product image variations) there are none for the kind of accounts I typically work with at this time. Especially when AI-generated stuff kinda has a signature look to it pretty often… I should clarify that I might use in background to look for ideas but not using images or video or text straight from any AI tool. @NeptuneMoon
Just getting new headline ideas. @JawadZaheerKhan
No, and I don’t use it because I am customizing my strategy for each client – if you are talking about using AI in an account there are only certain use cases where I can leverage it…also my strategy re AI overarching might be more workflow related or leveraging ai as a starting point. @runnerkik
Nah, if the client doesn’t have the assets, I can badly photoshop something. @ferkungamaboobo
No, it’s just not feasible for gov clients, and my retail clients are very concerned about brand standards. It’s just not a fit yet. @JuliaVyse
More seriously, AI is useful with comprehension — sort of taking aj kohn’s blind five-year-old approach and turning it back around. parse that landing page, ask AI to summarize it. @ferkungamaboobo
Not to write ads but to help with word variations and ideas, a little like a thesaurus but a little more tailored to what I’m trying to do lol. @Meriem
I am also concerned about AI further homogenizing the competitive landscape. It is already doing it inside the platforms with which ads it shows, bidding strategies, etc. If many advertisers start using in-platform AI asset generation tools, how long before the ads are all very, very similar? @NeptuneMoon
Also, AI summaries of screen recordings and heatmaps in Clarity can be helpful sometimes. @JawadZaheerKhan
For the most part, no – the AI-generated assets for PPC are too often off-target – wrong product, wrong branding, etc. @revaminkoff
We use AI because a lot of folks consider it table stakes. That said humans are always involved. @navahhopkins
Text Ideas
Angles
CopyAutomation – if you call that AI
But just rules & scripts (cowritten by an LLM)Looking at image/video. @alimehdimukadam
Have had some success with Automated Assets, but again, it depends on the client – it’s like whack a mole when they generate something wrong — they keep generating more things that are wrong. @revaminkoff
@NeptuneMoon that’s where brand & actual marketing will stand out (ads can be similar) @alimehdimukadam
We use it for these use cases about as much as most everyone else who has replied so far (except for @navahhopkins So, barely, if at all. Fascinating that so few people here seem to use it. @JonDeNunzio
The unlock of AI is more in the systems, data & operations. Assistant in true sense. @alimehdimukadam
I feel like I can, I think when it is totally irrelevant or a comment on social or a caption it is so so bland and tone-deaf – that is how I can tell. @runnerkik
Q2: Do you think you can discern AI-generated content, images or video in ads or landing pages? What, if anything, makes it stand out to you?
AI is still really bad at making people – if the AI is responsible for generating images/videos we can usually tell. If it’s used to edit it’s a little easier. @navahhopkins
I’m always of so many minds about paid search copy in particular. There’s solid data that shows that above a certain level of competence, copy has such small impacts at that stage compared to position and matching the search term. @ferkungamaboobo
I do feel like I can tell images. They have a certain look and feel to them. Product images generated based on an existing library of brand produced images would probably be harder to discern. @NeptuneMoon
it’s getting harder and harder to tell. bad AI certainly, but not for long. @JuliaVyse
So would decently tuned AI turn out ok paid search copy? probably. It’s on things like the landing page where the vacuousness of the copy comes through. I can tell when my students use AI for their homework because it misses the point. And idk, I’m a weirdo about copy. I think copy matters, I think you should have 1000-1500 words on your landing page. I think J Peterman has a way better handle on their copy than Shein. @ferkungamaboobo
I think we will move into a period soon where non-AI content will be a differentiator, as so many will just use the AI. @NeptuneMoon
Can tell. A lot of emojis suddenly in copy or elsewhere*** ABCD ****A long sentence with perfect English, even the Brits get shocked (textbookish) Won’t know if a copy is generated by AI & looked over by a human. Some prompts are really amazing. @alimehdimukadam
Yes, I sometimes now make a mistake on purpose to not come across as AI generated.@alimehdimukadam
See, I don’t think AI will be a differentiator either way. Does it REALLY matter if the output does what it’s supposed to? I think about NaNoWriMo right now — should my use of AI tools to check for cogency disqualify me from the pantheon of being a “real” writer? @ferkungamaboobo
Can’t differentiate in the AI voice bit. And a couple AI avatar videos I’ve seen, the AI voice is already being used by scammers. @alimehdimukadam
But it’s also what people perceive AI to produce. Is it AI or is it ESL? I feel like bad quality is lumped into AI rather than a type of bad quality is discerned these days. @JuliaVyse
But the challenge with AI — it’s trained on a lot of bad copy, if copy at all. @ferkungamaboobo
TRUTH. @JuliaVyse
It’s trained on the ideas that are in that bottom third — that Corporate Memphis slop that never actually converted. @ferkungamaboobo
Now an AI that is just trained on what you input into it has different possibilities. But that is not what we have at the moment. @NeptuneMoon
I think we are still pretty early to see mass volume of AI-generated ads, landing pages, etc. US election ads and other stuff – definitely would increase that adoption. @alimehdimukadam
Q3: Do you have a reaction to AI-generated content when you recognize it in advertising or on landing pages? If so, what is your reaction?
I am generally put off by something I can easily spot as being AI. @NeptuneMoon
Maybe 6 months or a year ago, an article came out that said “AI is low-rent.” @ferkungamaboobo
Would it be odd if I said I bet there is a subconscious aversion??? I skim… @runnerkik
I am a former journalist, so I am biased … and yeah, obviously AI-generated copy bothers me. @JonDeNunzio
I come from pre-internet days of marketing, so the importance of copy was drilled into me. Iterating on copy is also part of my PPC DNA. AI blasts through all that and not in a way I like. @NeptuneMoon
That uncanny valley is deeply unpleasant. and it’s not the same as just seeing something of poor quality. it’s a specific type of ick @JuliaVyse
Of potential interest. I’ll try to find a download https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357281795_Consumers’_perception_on_artificial_intelligence_applications_in_marketing_communication @ferkungamaboobo
So I think about that Toys R Us ad from idk 6 months ago or whatever. would we have thought anything about it if it wasn’t couched as “this is AI wowow” @ferkungamaboobo
I would have still thought why is TRU copying Disney when they have a strong brand already, but AI just made the ‘we’re making this for the sake of making it’ feeling intensify. @JuliaVyse
As long as it’s relevant, passes a sense check and not too obvious, I don’t care. @revaminkoff
Q4: What do you think are the best use cases for using AI in PPC (meaning for content, images, etc. not automation within platforms)?
I think for product images it has promise. @NeptuneMoon
Burning down the rainforest, hurting low-income rural communities, getting VC money you’ll regret taking. @ferkungamaboobo
@ferkungamaboobo I was just talking with someone this morning about the horrifying environmental toll of AI. @NeptuneMoon
it’s deeply similar to crypto. @ferkungamaboobo
Food products work well like coffee beans, soups ect, background generation for group photos and lifestyle usage…resizing images…I think grey areas include people…@runnerkik
Which hmm hmm hmm weird that as crypto/web 3 declined, we see ai increase. @ferkungamaboobo
Maybe generating video from available still images too. @NeptuneMoon
So we measure the carbon footprint of media, AI is rough in that respect. In terms of where it can be beneficial, it’s in reducing production cost for smaller advertisers. If you can do more with less and your business is struggling, this is a good way to start as you build up creative muscles. @JuliaVyse
Best use case for me has been scripts – using AI to write them & customize as per we want. And doing some geeky stuff like send email alert, send slack alert if X then Y, etcAnd it’s all through Google Ads’s scriptsIf can get a privacy locked-in Dashboard/Report explainer – that would be awesome! @alimehdimukadam
Ahh Product Images yes. Videos too. 30-second videos are now possible. @alimehdimukadam
I mean, but my question is this — what is it that we create? how functionally — and from a data perspective — different is a slow pan vs. a static product shot? We check boxes to check boxes instead of make creative decisions. @ferkungamaboobo
No, I am talking proper scene based with motion. Not slow pan shots. Like a person walking and talking. @alimehdimukadam
But video content for ads is being pressed upon advertisers more and more. If you set up a new display campaign in Google Ads now? It asks for video assets. PMax needs video assets. Not all businesses can readily and easily produce video assets. But the platform WANTS THEM @NeptuneMoon
And with so much bot traffic out there and made-for advertising sites, it’ll be AI watching AI ads. @JuliaVyse
Sure, but what placements do those run on? what’s the brand lift? @ferkungamaboobo
Video unlocks all other placements/platforms. @alimehdimukadam
When PMax is the only campaign type (and this will happen within the next 24 months) specifying placements will not be something we really do any more (I am not in favor of this for the record) @NeptuneMoon
For a small local business – a video can do well. @alimehdimukadam
@ferkungamaboobo is getting very logical and looking for outcomes I fear. AI is moving too fast for that, it’s a trend and I wonder if it will burn out before we actually measure it. like the pivot to video fiasco. @JuliaVyse
Q5: Are there things you wish AI could do for PPC that it does not yet do?
Let Google Reps know that we will not auto-apply. @alimehdimukadam
Get that MCC-level opt-out going! @JuliaVyse
I’d like more AI insights into ad performance in the advertiser’s industry. Like “your competitors are achieving 7% conversion rates for products or services like this” or “your competitors are seeing decreased CPA when running video ads” @NeptuneMoon
Not sound or look so AI, LOL @runnerkik
Soon. @JuliaVyse
I would like it to be more correct a well…@runnerkik
I think we’ve also reached a plateau for a while (can’t say yet, but models are just gonna iterate), the unlock is still gonna be who is going to use them faster & more efficiently (within legal, ethical, any other constraints) @alimehdimukadam
@NeptuneMoon Did you try Perplexity yet after it didn’t work the last time? @alimehdimukadam
@alimehdimukadam I have not been able to get it. @NeptuneMoon
It’s free. @alimehdimukadam
And I also do not want to use AI indiscriminately because of its environmental cost. @NeptuneMoon
All I want from AI is to manage my calendar. that’s it. I’m constantly double and triple booked and dealing with moving stuff is so time-consuming. Stop taking over for all the artists and musicians. stop messing with licensing, and get my calendar in order. @JuliaVyse
They are bringing a nuclear power plant back online here in PA solely to power Microsoft AI. That is insane. @NeptuneMoon
I’m worried our utilities are going to jump at potential businesses and just create a drain up here. we’re powered by water! @JuliaVyse
I saw a chart that NVIDIA or all GPUs combined are now consuming more energy than the country of Georgia. @alimehdimukadam
It is not sustainable by a long shot. @JuliaVyse
This is the AI ZIRP era. Like early Uber, Doordash-type era. @alimehdimukadam
Q6: What are your biggest concerns about AI-generated content and images/videos in PPC?
Licensing, permissions, homogenization, the general sameness of everything before too long. not to mention biases. @JuliaVyse
I worry about Google (and other platforms to be fair) pushing so much AI on advertisers that it all just looks and sounds the same. @NeptuneMoon
Black Box – leave to us.
Even OpenAI, Claude etc show us the workings of how they are thinking through etc. @alimehdimukadam
Accuracy and branding. They have to show the right version of the right product. @revaminkoff
But when it comes to ads – black box. @alimehdimukadam
@revaminkoff Okay, this is a big problem for me. say I sell a hamburger. how different looking will AI think my burger, a McD’s burger and a bk burger really are? @JuliaVyse
Licensing is also really important – there are so many copyright/trademark questions right now around AI-generated imagery/assets that still need to be answered. @revaminkoff
@JuliaVyse This is exactly my problem. We have a client who sells mops. It matters that the mop shown be a) their mop and b) the right mop that they’re advertising @revaminkoff
Yes on rights – we have not gotten a definitive answer from a platform on whether your product data, including images, will be used to train the system and potentially benefit competitors. @NeptuneMoon
Like they might only create variations of stuff we provide in our account, but is that data firewalled to just my account? For learning/training purposes? We don’t know. Ethics questions will need to be addressed too @NeptuneMoon
Personality rights – Joe Rogan fake videos. Huberman fake video ads. The countries where legal system is not strong – it opens doors for a lot of shady marketers. Like the old weight loss type cloaking ads. And by the time it gets flagged, they’ve already made bank. @alimehdimukadam
PPCChat Participants
- Julie F Bacchini @NeptuneMoon
- Jawad Zaheer Khan @JawadZaheerKhan
- Sarah Stemen @runnerkik
- Reid Thomas @ferkungamaboobo
- Meriem @Meriem
- Navah Hopkins @navahhopkins
- Ali Mehdi Mukadam @alimehdimukadam
- Reva Minkoff @revaminkoff
- Jon DeNunzio @JonDeNunzio
Related Links
Stop the wasted ad spend. Get more conversions from the same ad budget.
Our customers save over $16 Million per year on Google and Amazon Ads.