In its annual Ads Safety Report, Google highlighted its growing reliance on Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly Large Language Models (LLMs), to combat a surge in deceptive advertising practices.
“Generative AI presents both significant opportunities and challenges for the digital advertising industry,” said Duncan Lennox, Vice President and General Manager of Ads Privacy and Safety at Google. “While it offers exciting advancements for areas like performance optimization and image editing, it also introduces new avenues for bad actors.”
The report details Google’s efforts to leverage LLMs’ ability to analyze vast amounts of data and identify nuanced patterns in deceptive content.
This has proven particularly effective in tackling financial scams, where bad actors constantly adjust tactics to exploit users.
“LLMs can quickly recognize new trends in financial services and distinguish legitimate businesses from get-rich-quick schemes,” explained the VP.
The report cites a significant rise in scams across online platforms in 2023.
Google responded by implementing the Limited Ads Serving policy, which restricts the reach of new advertisers until they establish a track record of good behavior.
Additionally, they formed a dedicated team to address a targeted campaign utilizing deepfakes to impersonate public figures.
Overall, Google blocked or removed over 5.5 billion ads in 2023, a slight increase from the previous year.
This included 206.5 million for misrepresentation (scams) and 273.4 million for violating financial services policies.
The report also emphasizes Google’s commitment to election integrity. They verified over 5,000 new election advertisers in 2023 and removed millions of ads from unverified sources.
Additionally, they were the first tech company to require disclosure for election ads containing synthetic media.
Looking ahead, Google pledges to stay nimble and adapt to evolving threats. They plan to continue developing new policies, strengthening enforcement systems, and fostering collaboration across the industry. They also highlighted the launch of the Ads Transparency Center, which allows users to learn more about the ads they see online.
“Though we can’t predict the future,” concluded Lennox, “our investments in AI-powered detection and enforcement will prepare us for any challenges ahead.”
