What Is Google's 'How This Ad Was Made' AI Disclosure Panel?

"How this ad was made" is a panel Google added to My Ad Center in July 2026 that tells a user whether an ad running on Search, YouTube, or Discover was created or edited using generative AI. Users reach it through the three-dot menu or info icon on an ad — it's the fourth option listed, appearing after "About this advertiser," "Why this ad," and "Report this ad."

Where the Disclosure Comes From

Google built two separate disclosure paths into the panel. Ads built using Google's own generative AI ad tools get a disclosure added automatically, with the underlying AI involvement verified through SynthID watermarking and C2PA content-credential metadata. Ads built with AI tools outside Google's own ecosystem rely on a manual control: the advertiser flags AI involvement themselves, and that self-declaration is what populates the panel — Google's system doesn't independently verify an advertiser's manual disclosure the way it does for its own tools.

When It Does and Doesn't Appear

The panel only shows up on ads where generative AI was actually involved in creating or editing the creative. An ad with no generative AI involvement simply doesn't display the "How this ad was made" option at all — it isn't a blanket addition to every ad's info menu, only ads that trigger one of the two disclosure paths above.

Why Google Built This Now

The rollout landed shortly before an EU deadline tied to AI-content transparency requirements, with coverage noting Google shipped the feature roughly 24 days ahead of that deadline. A visible, on-ad AI label is specifically required in certain jurisdictions — the EU, India, and New York are the three named in current coverage — meaning the underlying disclosure infrastructure in My Ad Center is global, but a mandatory visible label on the ad itself isn't uniformly required everywhere yet.

What It Doesn't Tell You

The panel confirms generative AI was involved somewhere in the ad's creation or editing, but current reporting indicates it doesn't specify which tool was used, which vendor built it, or how extensive the AI's role was versus a human's. A fully AI-generated video ad and an ad with one AI-touched background edit can both trigger the same disclosure, with no distinction visible to the user between the two.

What Advertisers Should Do

If you're using outside AI tools to build or edit ad creative running on Search, YouTube, or Discover, use Google's manual disclosure control rather than skip it — the requirement is tied to actual AI involvement in the creative, not to which specific jurisdiction you're advertising in, and enforcement expectations are only getting stricter as more regions add their own visible-label requirements.

Bottom Line

Check your ad's info menu for a "How this ad was made" entry if you're running Search, YouTube, or Discover ads built with AI tools, and manually disclose AI involvement for creative built outside Google's own generative tools — the panel only appears when generative AI was actually used.

Sources: Google Ads & Commerce Blog, "Google Ads AI transparency labels" (blog.google/products/ads-commerce/google-ads-ai-transparency-labels), posted by Keerat Sharma, July 9, 2026; PPC Land, "Google adds 'how this ad was made' AI labels 24 days before EU deadline."