Google Will Tell Users When AI Was Used To Create Ads

Google is introducing a new consumer-facing feature designed to help users identify when an ad has been created or altered using artificial intelligence.

The update reflects AI’s growing role in digital advertising, where marketers increasingly use the technology to generate creative assets, stage products in different environments and reduce the cost of traditional e-commerce photography. As those capabilities expand, so do concerns about transparency, particularly when consumers cannot easily distinguish between authentic and AI-generated product images.

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Bringing More Transparency To Ad Disclosures

Google has long prohibited deceptive advertising, but until now, disclosure requirements for AI-generated or AI-edited content were largely limited to election ads. The company is now extending that transparency to mainstream consumer advertising through its My Ad Center panel, which is accessible globally from the three-dot menu or information icon on ads shown in Google Search, YouTube and Google Discover.

The panel already gives users the ability to block or report ads, understand why they are seeing a particular promotion, and learn more about the advertiser. With the new update, users will also see a section labeled “How this ad was made,” which will reveal whether AI played a role in producing the creative.

What Advertisers Need To Know

According to Google, ads created with its own generative AI advertising tools will automatically include the disclosure. For ads produced using other tools, advertisers will need to indicate whether AI was involved through a new control in the ad workflow.

Google also said it will not independently verify whether externally created ads used AI, meaning the system relies on advertiser disclosure rather than platform-side detection. In certain markets, additional labeling may be applied to comply with local regulations.

A Small Label With Big Implications

The update may appear modest, but it reflects a broader shift in how digital platforms are responding to generative AI. As AI tools become more deeply integrated into marketing workflows, disclosure is emerging as an increasingly important part of maintaining consumer trust.

For advertisers, the change introduces another transparency requirement alongside the growing use of AI in creative production. For Google, it represents another step toward balancing the adoption of generative AI with greater visibility into how advertising content is produced.

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Cyprus Crypto Users Face New Risks As MiCA Rules Take Effect

by News Editor

August 18, 2026

Why Investors Need To Check The Company Behind Their Crypto Platform

Crypto users in Cyprus are being urged to verify exactly which company holds their assets after the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) transition period ended on July 1, 2026.

MiCA rules for crypto-asset service providers have applied since December 2024, but Cyprus allowed companies operating under its previous national framework to continue temporarily. CySEC required providers wishing to remain in the market to apply by February 27, 2026.

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The end of the transition means that appearing on an old national register is no longer enough. Investors must check the specific legal entity providing the service and the activities it is authorised to perform.

Two Regulatory Routes

CySEC maintains separate registers for providers authorised under Article 63 and companies using the Article 60 notification route.

The lists should not simply be treated as a count of licensed crypto exchanges. Providers have different regulatory statuses and may be authorised for different services, including custody, transfers, exchanges or operating trading platforms.

Companies authorised elsewhere in the EU can also serve Cypriot customers through MiCA passporting. Investors should therefore check the wider ESMA register.

Familiar Brands Can Still Be Used In Scams

MiCA authorisation applies to a specific legal entity, not automatically to every website, subsidiary or service using the same brand. Fraudsters can copy a legitimate company’s name, logo and licence number while changing its website or payment details.

The regulatory transition creates another opportunity for scammers. They can imitate legitimate notices about account closures or transfers and claim that customers must urgently move their assets to a new “regulated” platform.

In its July announcement, CySEC warned that customers using unauthorised providers do not receive MiCA protections and advised investors to verify providers through ESMA.

A Wider European Shake-Up

The changes affect the broader European crypto market. VASPnet estimated that more than 1,700 unlicensed crypto companies could face closure, relocation or restructuring after the transition period.

ESMA’s register contained 323 authorised providers at the end of July, while TRM Labs identified 1,343 operating providers in the European Economic Area on July 1, including 281 with MiCA authorisation. The different figures reflect different methodologies, but point to a substantial number of providers operating without the new authorisation.

ESMA instructed unauthorised companies to stop accepting new EU customers, opening accounts and marketing their services, while allowing limited activity needed for an orderly withdrawal.

What Investors Should Check

MiCA introduces common requirements for areas such as governance, disclosures and safeguarding client assets, but it does not make crypto investments risk-free.

For Cyprus users, the key questions are which legal entity provides the service, what it is authorised to do and whether the website or contact details are genuine.

Requests to transfer assets urgently, pay recovery fees, reveal private keys or install remote-access software should be treated as red flags. MiCA may bring greater clarity to the market, but the transition has also created a new opportunity for criminals to exploit a very real regulatory change.

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