In a move signaling a potential restructuring at the tech giant, Google is reportedly considering a significant shake-up within its 30,000-person ad sales unit. The company’s strides in artificial intelligence (AI) have led to the development of tools that could automate ad creation, posing a risk to jobs within the ad sales division.
Earlier this year, Google witnessed its largest job cut in history, with approximately 12,000 employees affected. Now, as the company embraces AI-driven tools capable of suggesting and creating ads with minimal human intervention, many roles within the ad sales unit may become redundant.
The introduction of Performance Max, an AI-powered campaign planner, marked Google’s initial foray into automating aspects of ad creation in 2021. However, recent enhancements at the Google I/O event introduced generative AI-based capabilities to the ad tool. This upgrade streamlines the process of creating custom assets and scaling them with just a few clicks.
Adopting Performance Max allows advertisers to create ads for various Google services, including YouTube, Search, Display, Discover, Gmail, and Maps, without the need for specialized knowledge in ad sales. The automation of these tasks through AI is expected to reshape the workforce requirements within the ad sales unit.
Google’s broader AI initiative aims to extend artificial intelligence capabilities to multiple facets of ad creation, including website scanning, keyword generation, headline creation, and image creation. This evolution in AI tools aligns with Google’s ongoing commitment to leveraging technology to enhance business operations.
As the tech giant delves deeper into the realm of artificial intelligence, the potential impact on jobs within the ad sales unit raises questions about the future workforce landscape at Google.
