On July 1, 2026, Google Ads updated its Terms of Service across all accounts globally. There was no re-acceptance required - no login prompt, no checkbox, no opt-in step. Every Google Ads account was automatically bound to the revised terms the moment they took effect.
This guide covers exactly what changed, what it means for how Google can use your data and run your campaigns, and what advertisers should review in their accounts as a result.
What Changed: Three Key Areas
1. Explicit AI Automation Authority
The most significant change in the July 1 terms is the explicit legal authorization for Google to use automated systems to format, select, and generate ads, targets, and destinations on advertisers' behalf.
Google's AI has been doing this for years in practice - generating responsive search ad assets, selecting placements, adjusting bids. What changed on July 1 is that this behavior now has explicit contractual authority, not just a settings default.
What this means for advertisers: Google is not doing anything new operationally. The change is legal and contractual. But the explicit language removes ambiguity about what Google is authorized to do automatically within your account.
2. How Your Data and Inputs Can Be Used
The updated terms contain new language about how information you enter into Google Ads can be used. Specifically:
- Information or URLs you enter into conversational experiences and similar Google Ads features can be used across various Google Ads features to improve campaign performance.
- URLs and accounts that advertisers authorize Google to access and crawl for automated campaign setup are now explicitly covered.
In practice: if you use Google Ads' AI-powered campaign creation tools, asset generation features, or conversational setup experiences, the inputs you provide - URLs, business descriptions, product information - can now be explicitly used by Google's systems across features to inform and improve automation in your account.
3. Advertiser Responsibility for AI-Generated Output
The new terms make clear that advertiser responsibility does not decrease with automation. Advertisers remain responsible for reviewing and approving any automatically generated campaigns and ad assets.
The practical implication: Google can recycle your inputs across automation systems and generate or select campaign elements. But you, as the advertiser, are still legally responsible for reviewing, approving, and taking ownership of the output. If an AI-generated ad asset violates policy or causes a problem, Google's terms place the review and approval responsibility on the advertiser.
What This Means for US Advertisers Running Automated Campaigns
For US advertisers using Smart Bidding, Performance Max, AI Max, or Responsive Search Ads, these changes formalize what was already happening. The practical impact depends on how much automation you have enabled:
Fully automated accounts (Performance Max, Smart Bidding, RSA with all assets): The new terms most directly describe how these already-active systems operate. Review your current asset configurations and make sure you have reviewed and approved all automatically generated assets.
Accounts using conversational setup or AI tools: If you have used Google's conversational campaign setup, AI asset generation, or similar tools in the last 12 months, those inputs are now explicitly within Google's authorized data use scope for cross-feature automation.
Agency-managed accounts: If a Google Ads account is managed by an agency, the advertiser of record is still the entity whose data and account are covered by these terms. Agency managers should inform clients about the July 1 changes.
What Advertisers Should Actually Do
Most US advertisers do not need to take emergency action as a result of these terms changes. The operational behavior of Google Ads did not change on July 1 - only the contractual description of that behavior changed.
The practical checklist:
1. Review your automatically created assets
In Google Ads, go to Campaigns > Assets > Automatically Created. Review what Google has generated. Confirm that the headlines, descriptions, and images Google created are accurate and appropriate for your brand. Under the new terms, you are the responsible party for this content.
2. Check which features can access your site data
In Google Ads Settings > Account access, review which Google features have crawl access to your URLs. If you do not want certain URLs included in automated campaign setup, restrict access there.
3. Be selective with conversational tools
If you use Google Ads' AI-powered campaign setup or asset generation tools, be intentional about what information you enter. Those inputs can now be explicitly used across other Google Ads features for automation purposes.
4. For agencies: update client communication
Brief clients on the July 1 terms change, particularly around AI-generated asset responsibility. Document your approval processes for AI-generated content in client accounts.
What Did Not Change
The July 1 terms update does not:
- Change how your conversion data or audience lists are used outside of Google Ads
- Transfer ownership of your ad creative or account data to Google
- Affect Google Analytics 4 data or Search Console data
- Change how Google uses your data for advertising on non-Google platforms
These areas are governed by separate policies (Google's Privacy Policy, GA4 Terms of Service, Search Ads 360 terms) that were not updated on July 1.
The AI-Generated Creative Labeling Update (July 13)
Separate from the July 1 terms change, Google began requiring disclosure labeling for AI-generated ad creatives starting July 13, 2026. If AI generated any visual or text elements in your display or video ads, those ads now require labeling under the updated policy.
If you run display or YouTube ads with AI-generated imagery or video, audit those creatives and confirm proper labeling is applied.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did I have to accept the new terms?
No. The July 1 terms update applied automatically to all Google Ads accounts without requiring re-acceptance. You were bound to the new terms on July 1 regardless of whether you took any action.
Can I opt out of AI-generated asset use?
You can limit AI asset generation in specific campaign settings. In Responsive Search Ads, you can set assets as "Pinned" to specific positions to reduce AI substitution. In Performance Max and AI Max, you can review and remove automatically generated assets. There is no single account-level opt-out for all AI automation.
Does this change how Google uses my customer data?
The July 1 terms update focuses on how Google can use your campaign inputs and URLs for automation within Google Ads. It does not change how Google uses customer data you upload (customer match lists, first-party data) - those remain governed by the Customer Match Policy and separate data processing terms.
Is this related to the DSA to AI Max migration?
The terms update and the DSA migration timeline are separate. The July 1 terms formalize the legal framework for AI automation that already covers AI Max, Performance Max, and other automated campaign types. The DSA migration timeline is a separate operational change.
Related: full guide on what the DSA to AI Max migration delay means for your account: /en-us/blog/google-ads-dsa-ai-max-migration-february-2027/
