Google unveils AI tools for Nigerian businesses

Google has introduced new Artificial Intelligence-powered advertising features aimed at helping Nigerian businesses track ad performance and manage campaigns more effectively. The new features, part of Google's AI Max for Search platform, include a reporting tool and an expansion of the AI Brief tool. According to Google's Director for East and West Africa, Olumide Balogun, the reporting feature will consolidate information on customer searches, displayed ads, and visited webpages into a single view.

This will enable businesses to better understand the impact of their advertising spend, especially crucial in the weeks leading up to Black Friday. The AI Brief tool allows advertisers to specify, in simple language, how their ads should or shouldn't communicate. Balogun also announced that AI Brief will be expanded with support for seven additional languages.

Moreover, Google will now allow advertisements to appear above and below AI Overviews in over 200 countries, including Nigeria. This comes as search habits are evolving, with consumers increasingly using longer, more detailed questions, voice commands, and images in their searches. Google's Vice-President of Global Ads, Dan Taylor, highlighted that AI Max, introduced in 2025, has been adopted by approximately 500,000 advertisers worldwide, resulting in 27% more conversions at a similar cost compared to traditional methods.