The major ad platforms have rebuilt themselves around AI and switched automation on by default across targeting, bidding, and even creative, which is quietly putting brand control, margins, and measurement at risk. 

In this session, you'll get a clear framework for deciding when to lean into Google and Meta's AI, when to verify it, and when to override it, grounded in the newest 2026 capabilities like AI Max, Advantage+, automated creative enhancements, and Merchant Center's recent updates. You'll leave knowing how to capture the performance gains of automation while protecting your brand and proving results to leadership.

After this session, you’ll be able to:

• Apply a simple lean-in / verify / override framework to every AI feature so you capture automation's gains without surrendering control of your brand. 
• Find and manage the auto-applied creative ""enhancements"" in your Google & Meta campaigns so your ads never run altered or off-brand without your sign-off.
• Restructure your campaigns and product feeds around what AI actually rewards (creative volume, clean data, and smart segmentation) to win more impressions at a lower acquisition cost.
• Run a lightweight governance checklist before enabling any automation, protecting margins and making your performance defensible to leadership.