YouTube ads are getting smarter with AI-powered placements

YouTube is now using Google’s Gemini AI to make ads more effective and better placed within videos. This new system helps advertisers find the best times during a video, called “peak moments,”—to show their ads. These are parts of a video where people are most engaged or paying the most attention.

Instead of just putting ads at the beginning or in the middle, the AI can now pick the best points based on what’s happening in the video. For example, during a key moment in a recipe tutorial or an intense part of a gaming video, the system might choose to place an ad there. This could help ads feel more relevant and less annoying to viewers.

This feature is part of Google’s ongoing plan to use AI across its ad products. It’s also expanding ad options in YouTube Shorts by testing ads in between comments and videos. Plus, Google will soon offer a simplified AI tool for advertisers to create video ads using just text and images.

Google says these changes help ads blend better into content and perform more effectively. For viewers, this could mean fewer badly timed ads and maybe even ones that feel more useful. For advertisers, it’s a smarter way to reach people without needing to guess where to put their ads.

These AI changes are rolling out gradually, with more updates expected at the upcoming Google Marketing Live event.