Google Ad Manager introduces AI tools for publisher brand safety and live CTV monetization

Google announced a series of artificial intelligence-powered tools for its publisher-focused advertising platforms on November 6, 2025. The updates span Google Ad Manager, AdSense, and AdMob, introducing automation capabilities designed to reduce manual workloads while expanding monetization opportunities during high-value live streaming events.

The announcement from Scot Shefer, VP of Sell-side Monetization, addresses operational challenges publishers face managing advertisement quality, generating performance insights, and capturing revenue from unpredictable live content. According to the blog post, the new features automate tasks that previously required extensive manual intervention from publishing teams.

AI brand safety tool learns publisher standards

The centerpiece automation feature transforms how publishers manage unwanted advertisements through their Ad Review Center. Google's new AI brand safety system learns individual publisher preferences by analyzing decisions made during manual creative reviews. The technology identifies patterns in which advertisements publishers approve or reject, building understanding of brand standards that extend beyond basic category restrictions.

According to the announcement, the system currently surfaces potentially unwanted advertisements for review. Future functionality will enable automatic blocking without requiring publisher intervention. This builds upon Google's existing Protections framework and AI tools targeting fraud prevention and scam detection.

Publishers have relied on manual review workflows to maintain brand safety standards, particularly those operating under regulatory requirements or corporate policies mandating creative approval before serving. The Ad Review Center allows publishers to examine individual advertisements after they've appeared, deciding whether to continue displaying them. Creating manual creative review protections enables automatic blocking of unreviewed creatives until publishers examine them, though this workflow demands constant attention from publishing teams.

The machine learning system aims to reduce this burden by recognizing which advertisement characteristics trigger publisher rejections. A publisher consistently blocking advertisements with specific visual elements, messaging approaches, or advertiser categories trains the system to identify similar content automatically. The technology operates alongside category-based blocking and opt-in controls publishers configure through Protections settings.

Google's Protections system already provides publishers with tools for managing brand safety through advertisement content rules, competition separation, inventory exclusions, and manual creative review. Publishers apply targeting, blocks, or opt-ins for certain advertisement types, protecting their brand reputation while controlling which demand sources access their inventory. The AI enhancement adds another layer of automation to these existing capabilities.

Industry measurement standards for brand safety have undergone significant examination. The Media Rating Council issued policy updates in October 2025 restricting property-level advertisement verification services from claiming "brand safety" unless they analyze images, videos, and audio at the content level rather than relying solely on text and keywords.

Generative AI reporting enables natural language queries

Google Ad Manager introduces an interactive reporting tool powered by generative artificial intelligence, allowing publishers to create custom performance reports through conversational prompts. Publishers can now ask questions like "Which ad units had the highest CPM last week?" and receive formatted reports matching their specifications.

The feature addresses complexity in Ad Manager's reporting interface, where publishers must navigate multiple dimensions, metrics, and filters to extract specific insights. According to Google's documentation, the system interprets natural language queries about dimensions, metrics, time periods, sorting preferences, and filtering criteria.

Publishers access the tool through Ad Manager's reporting section by selecting "Help me generate a report" and either entering custom prompts or choosing from predefined suggestions such as "Impressions, inventory type." The system generates one or more report configurations matching the request parameters. Publishers then select their preferred option and execute the report.

The implementation follows patterns established in Google's broader advertising suite. Google Ads launched similar AI-powered features in September 2024, introducing conversational experiences for campaign creation alongside enhanced image editing capabilities. The company announced comprehensive AI advertising tools at Think Week 2025, positioning Asset Studio as the centralized creative destination with generative capabilities supporting entire workflows.

Publishers should review generated reports to confirm they fulfill intended requirements, as the system remains in beta testing. The documentation advises avoiding inclusion of personal, confidential, or sensitive data in prompts while referring to Google's Terms of Service for usage guidelines.

Help guide provides instant AI-powered support

Google deployed an AI chatbot across Ad Manager, AdMob, and AdSense help centers, offering immediate assistance with onboarding procedures and troubleshooting scenarios. According to the announcement, the feature particularly benefits smaller publishers who may lack dedicated technical resources or specialized expertise.

The help guide system responds to publisher queries directly within platform interfaces, providing contextual support without requiring navigation to external documentation. This addresses feedback from publishers seeking faster resolution of technical issues and implementation questions.

Support automation represents one component of Google's strategy for improving publisher experience across its monetization platforms. The company has expanded various publisher-facing features throughout 2025, including PayPal Hyperwallet payment integration for China and Argentina and Offerwall monetization options enabling multiple content access methods.

CTV Live-biddable solution targets high-viewership moments

Google introduced CTV Live-biddable capabilities within Ad Manager, enabling publishers to monetize unpredictable live events through real-time programmatic transactions. The system addresses technical and operational challenges publishers face when attempting to capture advertising revenue during overtime sports matches, extended award shows, or other unplanned high-engagement moments.

Live content creates valuable inventory as audiences remain engaged during unexpected extensions. A football match entering overtime or an awards ceremony running past scheduled duration generates advertising opportunities with highly attentive viewers. Traditional advertising systems struggle to monetize these moments efficiently, as pre-sold inventory may be exhausted and programmatic buyers lack real-time signals about the live event's status.

According to the announcement, 82 percent of buyers indicate they are likely to increase programmatic live CTV investment over the next 12 months. The new solution helps publishers understand their live event audiences at scale in real time, providing advertisers with access to engaged viewers during peak moments.

Ronan McCarthy, SVP of Media Operations at DAZN, described implementing the technology for the FIFA Club World Cup. According to the testimonial, Google Ad Manager's live CTV solution delivered high-quality streams to millions of viewers globally while seamlessly transitioning between live matches and personalized advertisements, enabling monetization of premium peak-viewership inventory.

Google continues developing industry-wide standards with publishers and advertising technology providers to facilitate adoption. The announcement mentions smarter content identification and more reliable advertisement delivery as features helping streamline implementation, enabling advertisers to locate and bid on live inventory more easily.

Connected television advertising has experienced substantial growth throughout 2025. Industry research indicates 72 percent of marketers plan to increase programmatic advertising investment, with CTV's share of media budgets projected to double from 14 percent in 2023 to 28 percent in 2025. Live sports content represents particularly valuable inventory, as digital viewership of live sports surpassed traditional pay TV in 2024.

Technical infrastructure for live content monetization has been developing across the advertising ecosystem. Disney expanded programmatic capabilities for live content in April 2025, integrating real-time bidding certification for streaming inventory. StackAdapt and Index Exchange implemented ad podding technology in July 2025, addressing efficiency challenges in programmatic streaming environments where traditional approaches fragment advertisement pods into individual requests.

Buyer Direct combines reservation control with programmatic efficiency

Google rolled out Buyer Direct within Ad Manager, merging traditional direct deal control with programmatic technology benefits. The feature enables publishers and advertisers to establish reservation-style agreements while leveraging cross-publisher frequency optimizations, real-time reporting, and consolidated billing.

Direct deals have traditionally required separate negotiation, implementation, and reconciliation workflows between publishers and agencies. Programmatic transactions offer efficiency through automation but sacrifice some control and relationship aspects that characterize direct partnerships. Buyer Direct attempts to bridge this divide by maintaining the fundamental publisher-agency relationship while incorporating programmatic infrastructure advantages.

According to the announcement, the feature introduces new revenue opportunities and provides a more direct path between publishers and advertisers. This aligns with broader industry movement toward direct connections as participants seek to optimize supply chain efficiency while maintaining transparency.

Google launched curation tools for Ad Manager in November 2024, introducing capabilities helping media agencies optimize workflows and manage publisher relationships. Those features allowed agencies to work with curation partners through their Agency Seat, targeting data segments or curated auction packages while maintaining streamlined operations.

The Buyer Direct feature builds on those capabilities by formalizing direct relationships within programmatic infrastructure. Publishers can offer reserved inventory to specific agencies or advertisers while maintaining the operational benefits of programmatic technology for campaign execution, measurement, and financial reconciliation.

Publisher monetization strategy and industry context

The November 6 announcement continues Google's pattern of enhancing publisher tools throughout 2025. The company introduced interactive reports powered by artificial intelligence earlier in the year, expanding analytical capabilities for campaign performance assessment. Google Ads Editor 2.11 added Performance Max search term reports in response to advertiser demands for greater transparency in automated campaign mechanics.

Publisher relationships with advertising platforms face ongoing evolution as artificial intelligence capabilities expand. Google announced comprehensive AI advertising suite developments at Think Week 2025, positioning Asset Studio for centralized creative development alongside Journey Aware Bidding for full-funnel optimization. These advertiser-focused tools complement publisher features by improving advertisement quality and targeting precision.

Brand safety automation arrives as publishers navigate increasingly complex content moderation requirements. The Media Rating Council restricted property-level verification services from claiming brand safety capabilities unless they analyze visual and audio content, not just text. Publishers must balance brand protection with revenue optimization while managing technical implementation requirements.

The live CTV monetization features address publisher challenges capturing value from unpredictable high-engagement moments. Sports rights holders and entertainment publishers have long recognized that live content generates premium advertising opportunities, but technical limitations have prevented efficient real-time monetization through programmatic channels. As streaming platforms increasingly carry live content, publishers require tools that operate at television scale while maintaining digital advertising precision.

Smaller publishers particularly benefit from automation features that reduce resource requirements for routine tasks. The Help guide chatbot and AI-powered reporting tools lower technical barriers to platform adoption while enabling publishers to access sophisticated capabilities without maintaining specialized expertise internally. This democratization of advanced features reflects Google's strategy for expanding its publisher ecosystem beyond large media companies.

Timeline

• November 2024: Google launched curation tools for Ad Manager to optimize agency workflows
• June 2025: Google unveiled Offerwall to expand publisher monetization options
• July 2025: Google expanded Ad Manager partner guidelines with machine learning restrictions
• July 2025: Google expanded user identifier sharing for curation partners
• August 2025: Google Ads API v21 introduced AI Max and campaign transparency tools
• September 2025: Google unveiled comprehensive AI advertising suite at Think Week 2025
• October 2025: Google expanded PayPal Hyperwallet to China and Argentina publishers
• November 2025: Google Ads Editor 2.11 added Performance Max search term reports
• November 6, 2025: Google announced AI brand safety automation, generative reporting, Help guide chatbot, CTV Live-biddable solution, and Buyer Direct features

Summary

Who: Google announced the updates through Scot Shefer, VP of Sell-side Monetization, targeting publishers using Google Ad Manager, AdSense, and AdMob platforms worldwide. Features particularly benefit smaller publishers lacking dedicated technical resources alongside large media companies managing complex live content monetization.

What: Google introduced three AI-powered automation tools (brand safety learning system, generative reporting interface, and Help guide chatbot), a CTV Live-biddable solution for monetizing unpredictable live events, and Buyer Direct feature combining traditional deal structures with programmatic technology benefits.

When: Google announced the features on November 6, 2025, through a blog post on its Ads & Commerce platform. The AI brand safety tool currently surfaces unwanted advertisements, with automatic blocking functionality coming in future releases. CTV Live-biddable and Buyer Direct capabilities are rolling out to publishers.

Where: The features deploy within Google Ad Manager, AdSense, and AdMob platforms accessible to publishers globally. The CTV Live-biddable solution specifically addresses streaming television inventory, while Buyer Direct facilitates direct deals between publishers and agencies through Ad Manager infrastructure.

Why: Publishers face technical and operational challenges managing advertisement quality, extracting performance insights, and capturing revenue from high-value moments. The automation tools reduce manual workload for brand safety management and reporting generation. CTV Live-biddable addresses the 82 percent of buyers planning increased programmatic live investment by enabling real-time monetization of unpredictable high-engagement content. Buyer Direct responds to industry movement toward direct connections by combining reservation control with programmatic efficiency benefits.