# Google Ads with AI: What should humans still approve? > AI can support Google Ads work, but goals and judgement require accountability. See what you should clarify about measurement, budget, recommendations, and approval. By Media Access. Published: 2026-09-09. Updated: 2026-09-09. Original: [Google Ads with AI: What should humans still approve?](https://mediaaccess.uk/insights/google-ads-with-ai-and-human-oversight/) AI can help analyse an ad account and identify possible improvements. But the numbers do not tell you everything about your customers, your capacity, or what a good enquiry is worth to the business. At Media Access, our work is built on Google Ads experience dating back to 2004. Our approach is that AI supports operations and recommendation work, while people assess and approve the actions. Here is what we believe should be clarified before you put this way of working into practice. ## What you will learn - Define what a valuable enquiry is before you assess the results. - Clarify who approves actions and which budget limits apply. - View ads, landing pages, and sales follow-up as one connected process. ## What can AI contribute in Google Ads? AI can be used to process account data, identify patterns, and create recommendations for further work. A recommendation is a starting point for assessment. It must be understood in light of what the company actually sells and which customers you want to reach. Google also has built-in automation. Smart Bidding uses AI to optimise bids for conversions or conversion value in auctions. That is a different task from the adviser’s responsibility for goals, priorities, and the content of the overall marketing effort. Source: [Google Ads: About Smart Bidding](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7065882) ## Start with the goal and the quality of measurement Imagine a consultancy that counts every submitted form as an equally good enquiry. Some may be qualified project enquiries, others job applications or questions from existing customers. A higher number of forms does not necessarily mean the marketing has generated more sales opportunities. So clarify what you want more of, and how sales can provide feedback on quality. Also review whether the most important actions are actually being tracked. A good report starts with measurement you understand, and a clear description of what the numbers do not show. ## These assessments need context A business may have a better margin on one service and spare capacity in another. A campaign that generates many enquiries may therefore be the wrong one to scale right now. These conditions must be part of the assessment alongside the account data. Our recommendation is to review these questions when considering important recommendations: - Does the action reach the customers we actually want to attract? - Is the message right, and does it match the landing page? - Is the cost within the agreed limits? - Does the business have the capacity to follow up on the response? - How and when should the effect be assessed? ## Make approval a concrete workflow Clarify who assesses the recommendations, what the adviser can implement within the agreement, and which decisions the customer should be involved in. An agency needs to understand both its room to act and the situations where it should stop and have a conversation. A simple decision log can include the problem, the action, the reasoning, the approver, and the time for follow-up. This is our recommended way to make learning accessible. The log makes it easier to understand why the account was changed and what you should examine later. ## Look beyond cost per click A relevant ad is of little help if the customer arrives at an unclear website or does not get a response to their enquiry. Check whether the landing page explains the offer, sets the right expectations, and makes it easy to contact you. Set up a regular review where account data is combined with insights from the people who speak to customers. Ask what was sold, what dropped off, and which questions kept coming up. That gives you a better basis for improving both the advertising and the rest of the customer journey. ## Questions and answers ### Is AI Ads the same as ChatGPT Ads? No. AI Ads at Media Access refers to Google Ads work supported by AI and human approval. ChatGPT Ads is a separate advertising channel and a separate service. ### Does human oversight mean each auction is approved? No. Google’s automated bidding can operate in each auction. Human assessment applies to goals, setup, and the actions recommended in the management of the account. ## Sources and further reading - [Google Ads: About Smart Bidding](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7065882) - [Media Access: AI Ads and our way of working](https://mediaaccess.no/tjenester/ai-ads/) ## Read more - [ChatGPT Ads or Google Ads: Where should you start?](https://mediaaccess.uk/insights/chatgpt-ads-vs-google-ads/index.md) - [How to build a landing page for relevant enquiries](https://mediaaccess.uk/insights/landing-pages-that-generate-enquiries/index.md) - [Create a marketing strategy for the next 90 days](https://mediaaccess.uk/insights/90-day-marketing-strategy/index.md) [Get to know AI Ads](https://mediaaccess.uk/services/ai-ads/)