How Much Control Do You Really Have Over AI Generated Ads?

Let’s be real – AI is everywhere now. It writes headlines, picks images, suggests audiences, and even decides where your ads show up. And while that sounds helpful, it also leaves a lot of marketers wondering: Are we still the ones in charge?

This question came up a lot during Google’s Marketing Live 2025 event. With new features like AI Overviews, Performance Max upgrades, and creative tools that write and design for you, it’s fair to ask how much control you actually have over your campaigns.

In this post, we’re going to look at what you can change, what you can’t, and how to make sure your brand still feels like your brand – even when AI is doing a lot of the heavy lifting.

What’s Changing in AI Powered Advertising?

If you haven’t looked closely at ad platforms lately, you might be surprised by how much they’ve changed in just the last few months.

Google, for example, rolled out a bunch of updates during their Marketing Live 2025 event. We’re talking about things like:

• Search and Shopping ads showing up inside AI Overviews
• Performance Max campaigns powered by a new tool called “AI Max”
• A co-pilot that sets up your ad groups and writes copy for you
• Video tools that can turn a product image into a full ad in seconds

And it’s not just Google. Microsoft is doing similar things with their ad tools. Most major platforms are now blending automation with content creation. AI isn’t just helping with small tasks anymore—it’s making big creative and strategic decisions.

That sounds cool, but it also raises questions. When AI is writing the copy, choosing the image, and picking where your ad goes… what’s left for you to control?

Brand Voice and AI-Generated Ads: Can They Coexist?

This is probably one of the biggest concerns for marketers right now: If AI is writing my ads, will they still sound like us?

The short answer? They can – but only if you’re paying attention.

Most AI ad tools, including Google’s new Asset Studio and the tools inside Performance Max, are trained to write in a general, “safe” tone. That means they won’t say anything off-brand, but they also won’t automatically capture what makes your brand sound unique. Unless you give it clear input, your ad might come out sounding like it could be from just about anyone.

The good news is, there are ways to guide the tone. You can:

• Write example headlines or descriptions that match your style
• Upload brand voice guidelines (some platforms now let you do this)
• Lock parts of the text so AI can’t change them
• Manually review and edit any suggestions before launching

If your brand has a playful tone, a formal one, or anything in between, you’ll need to show the AI what that looks like. Think of it like training a new teammate: it gets better over time, but it still needs your direction.

AI-Generated Ad Copy: How Much Can You Change?

More than you might think, but not everything.

One of the biggest worries marketers have is that once AI writes something, you’re stuck with it. That’s not really how it works. Most platforms still give you editing tools. You can go in, change the headline, tweak the description, or even remove parts you don’t like entirely.

For example:

• In Performance Max, you can approve or reject text suggestions, and now even lock parts of your copy so the system doesn’t rewrite them.
• You can add your own copy instead of using what the AI recommends.
• If you’re using third-party tools like Adsby, you might get even more flexibility to edit before anything goes live.

The trick is to not treat AI copy like the final draft. It’s more like a starting point. Use it to save time, but don’t be afraid to rewrite anything that doesn’t sound right. AI can help get ideas flowing, but you’re still the one who should shape the message.

Visual Assets in AI Campaigns: Upload, Edit, or Replace?

Let’s talk images and videos, because AI isn’t just writing your ads anymore, it’s designing them too.

The question is: Can you still use your own visuals? And the answer is yes, in most cases. You can usually upload product photos, lifestyle shots, logos, and even short clips. From there, AI tools can help you:

• Resize and reformat them for different platforms
• Enhance lighting or background automatically
• Create short video ads using static images (thanks to tools like Google’s Veo + Asset Studio)

But here’s the part to watch: some platforms will auto-generate visuals if you don’t upload anything. That means if you don’t step in, AI might pick a generic image or style that doesn’t really match your brand.

So, if you want control, the best move is to upload your own assets early. Think of AI as a creative assistant, it can polish and adapt your visuals, but only if you give it something solid to start with.

Also, you can usually preview everything before publishing. So if something looks off, you can swap it out or re-edit.

Targeting and Exclusions: Are You Still in Control?

This one’s important. Because even if your ads look great, they won’t work if they’re showing up in the wrong places or in front of the wrong people.

So, how much control do you actually have over targeting when AI is involved?

Turns out, still quite a bit.

In Google’s Performance Max and AI Max campaigns, you can:

• Set location, language, and audience signals
• Exclude products you don’t want to promote
• Add negative keywords (yes, this is back!)
• Avoid certain placements or demographics

The system does use AI to go beyond your targeting suggestions, but that doesn’t mean it ignores your rules. Think of it like this: you tell the AI who you want, and it tries to find more people like them, but within your boundaries.

That said, some features are still rolling out, and platform-by-platform control varies. For now, it’s smart to double-check settings before publishing. And if something’s not working, use your reporting tools to see where the ads are going and pull back if needed.

Prompting AI for Specific Results: Does It Actually Work?

Short answer: yes, but only if you’re clear.

AI tools are getting better at taking instructions but they still need your help to stay on track. Just like writing a good brief for a designer or copywriter, you need to tell the AI what you want.

For example, if you’re creating a product image or video, you can prompt it with things like:

• “Show the product in use by a person outdoors”
• “Use a white background with soft lighting”
• “Highlight the logo in the center”

Some platforms now even let you enter this kind of detail directly when generating visuals or headlines. Google’s Asset Studio, for instance, asks for input before creating images or videos and the more specific you are, the better the output.

If you leave it blank, though? You’ll likely get something generic.

So if you care about how your ad looks or sounds, don’t skip the prompt. You don’t need to be a creative genius, just be clear about what you want, and test a few variations to see what works best.

What About Copyright and Ownership of AI-Generated Content?

Ah, the tricky part.

A lot of marketers are asking: If AI creates my ad image or text, do I actually own it? And more importantly, can someone else use the same thing?

Here’s what we know right now:

• Most platforms say you have the right to use the AI-generated content in your campaigns. That means you won’t get in trouble for using it in your ads – Google, Meta, Microsoft, and others have made that clear.
• But owning it like you would a photo you took yourself? That’s a gray area. In most cases, there’s no copyright protection for AI-generated work, which means it might not be 100% exclusive to you.
• Also, depending on the tool, there’s a chance that similar versions of the same image or copy could be created for someone else, especially if your input was vague or generic.

So, what can you do?

• Use AI-generated content as a starting point, then tweak it. That way, it feels more original.
• If you’re using visuals, consider uploading your own and letting AI assist-rather than create from scratch.
• And always double-check the terms of use for whatever platform you’re using, especially if it’s generating content for commercial use.

Bottom line: AI helps move faster, but if uniqueness and brand safety matter, you should still have a human in the loop.

How Can You Stay in Control of AI Ads?

AI can be a huge time-saver. It writes copy, picks visuals, sets budgets, and finds audiences, sometimes all at once. But as helpful as that sounds, there’s a real risk in letting it run without checking in.

If you’re not reviewing the output -what it says, how it looks, who it targets- you might end up with campaigns that feel off-brand or spend money in places that don’t convert.

Here’s what smart marketers are doing: They’re letting AI do the heavy lifting, but they’re still checking the basics:

• What’s actually being said in the ad?
• Do the visuals match the brand or product?
• Is the targeting aligned with the real audience?
• Is the budget being used in the right places?

In setups like this, having a simple way to review and adjust each piece makes all the difference. That’s something we care a lot about in our own work at Adsby. We’ve seen how even small tweaks -like changing one headline or excluding one audience segment- can shift performance.

It’s not about controlling everything. It’s about knowing what to control, and being able to step in quickly when needed.

The tools are getting smarter but the best results still come from teams who stay involved.