Google posted a notice on November 11, 2026 clarifying that ads using AI to impersonate public figures are not allowed under its Unacceptable Business Practices policy, even if they disclose that they were generated or edited with AI. Google said the clarification "is meant to help advertisers understand the policy and does not change the enforcement of the policy." Search Engine Roundtable published a screenshot of a note added to the policy page stating the same rule.
According to PPC Land, Google classifies violations of this policy as egregious, which means an account is suspended as soon as a violation is detected, without prior warning. PPC Land reported that Google did not publish a comparison with earlier wording, and that the notice does not address advertisers using AI with a public figure's permission, such as a brand with a contracted ambassador, or parody and satire.
PPC Land noted that Google added AI label settings and a "How this ad was made" panel across its ad products on July 9, 2026, which raised the question of whether a labeled AI likeness would be treated differently. The underlying ban on public figure impersonation has been enforced since March 2024, and Google's 2024 Ads Safety Report counted more than 700,000 accounts permanently suspended for it, according to PPC Land.