In September 2023, Google updated its political content advertising policy to require disclosure of AI-generated and digitally altered media in election ads, with the rule taking effect in November 2023. Verified election advertisers must disclose ads that contain synthetic or digitally altered content that inauthentically depicts real or realistic-looking people or events.
Under the policy, advertisers disclose qualifying ads by selecting an “Altered or synthetic content” checkbox in their campaign settings; the disclosure must be clear, conspicuous, and placed where users are likely to notice it. Google’s published examples of acceptable wording include “This audio was computer generated,” “This image does not depict real events,” and “This video content was synthetically generated.” Edits judged inconsequential to an ad’s claims, such as cropping, resizing, or red-eye correction, fall outside the rule.
It was one of the first concrete platform policies aimed specifically at AI-manipulated political advertising, and it set a template that other platforms followed in the run-up to the 2024 elections. Enforcement combines automated and human review, with removal and possible account suspension for violations.
For a business reader, the policy illustrates how disclosure-based regulation of synthetic media works in practice: the burden sits with the advertiser, and the platform supplies the label and the enforcement.