Published by NewsPR Today | July 2025
Experts Break Down Google’s Latest AI & Ads Shake-up: Here’s What You Need to Know
A panel of industry experts sat down to talk about the latest Google updates, and the main takeaway is clear: things are changing fast. In their weekly roundtable, Barry Schwartz, Mordy Oberstein, Christine “Shep” Zirnheld, and Anu Adegbola dug into what’s new with AI in search and some major changes for advertisers.
Here’s a breakdown of their discussion.
AI in Search: It’s Expanding, But Is It Consistent?
The panel jumped right into the wild world of Google’s AI-powered search, highlighting a few key developments.
- AI Mode is Now the Default in India: Barry Schwartz pointed out that Google’s AI Mode is now the default for English searches in India. You no longer have to opt-in through a special program to see it, which follows the same full rollout that happened in the US.
- Google Wants You to Keep Asking Questions: Schwartz also showed how Google is adding “follow-up” suggestions to AI answers — clickable prompts designed to keep you in a conversation with the search engine, encouraging more queries.
- Hit Refresh, Get a New Answer: Mordy Oberstein raised the issue of consistency. Citing Jess Schultz, he noted AI results can change drastically with a simple refresh — different answers, different sources, even on the same browser. “Is consistency important? ‘No,’ says Google,” Oberstein joked.
Related Article: Is It Just Me, or Are Google Ads Getting Seriously Expensive?
What’s New for Google Advertisers
The conversation then turned to some big news for anyone running paid campaigns on Google.
A Huge Update to Ads Editor (v2.10): Christine “Shep” Zirnheld called the new Google Ads Editor a massive update with over 20 new features. Key improvements include:
- Better PMax Control: Performance Max users can finally add campaign-level negative keywords.
- AI Max in Editor: Set up and manage advanced AI features directly from the editor.
- New Link Checker: Check landing page URLs across multiple accounts with ease.
- Policy Tweaks and Ad Changes: Anu Adegbola discussed a few final updates for advertisers:
- Political Ad Policies: Google is updating rules around political ad formats and disclosure requirements.
- “Smart” Bolding: Google now bolds ad words related to the search — not just exact matches. For example, a search for “travel insurance” might bold “Coverage” or “Trip.”
The discussion wrapped up with a clear consensus: Google is going all-in on AI, and advertisers must stay alert to the evolving tools and subtle platform changes.
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