July 9, 2026, (Inside AI) — Google has launched a suite of agentic advertising tools in India, headlined by a Gemini-powered AI agent embedded directly within Search ads. The beta feature, called Business Agent for Leads, lets users chat with an AI trained on an advertiser’s website without leaving the search results page, converting interactions into qualified leads.
The rollout, announced Thursday, also includes Ask Advisor, a Gemini agent that delivers personalized campaign recommendations by analyzing data across Google Ads, Analytics, Marketing Platform, and soon Merchant Center. The tools signal Google’s push beyond marketing automation toward what it calls “marketing intelligence,” where AI acts as a strategic growth partner.
India is the first market to test Business Agent for Leads. Edtech firm Upgrad gained early access to engage prospective students through the conversational ad unit. The move comes as AI reshapes digital advertising, with user queries on AI Mode now three times longer than traditional searches. Google claims 84% of Indian users make faster decisions and 87% make more confident decisions using the mode.
“Gemini is now the engine accelerating growth for our customers across our ads products as we move beyond marketing automation to marketing intelligence, setting the stage for the agentic era where AI acts as a true strategic growth partner,” said Roma Datta Chobey, Managing Director, Connected Consumer Commerce, Google India.
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Google’s advertising revenue hit $77.25 billion in Q1 2026, up 15.5% year-over-year, funding nearly $200 billion in AI infrastructure. The company says Gemini reduces irrelevant ads by 40%, and with longer, deeper queries from AI agents, brands have more opportunity to match intent.
India-Specific Tools and the Creator Economy Debate
Among locally developed solutions is YouTube BrandStack, an all-in-one automated campaign tool built in India. Insurer Axis Max Life Insurance deployed it during cricket season, seeing an 18.4% surge in brand searches and 23% more quality leads than traditional TV. Google says YouTube delivers 1.9 times more ROI than OTT and linear TV combined.
Google also upgraded Asset Studio to generate brand-accurate ad assets from natural language descriptions, briefs, and reference images. But the rise of AI-generated creative has stoked fears about the creator economy. When asked, Google stated: “Both have equal and important roles to play because it is ultimately all about consumer resonance; authentic storytelling that connects with audiences remains irreplaceable for building brand trust.”
To bridge the gap, Google launched YouTube Affiliate Partnerships Boost, letting brands incorporate creator content into campaigns. Meanwhile, Demand Gen campaigns now extend to Google Maps, targeting users near stores, and can integrate Merchant Center product videos.
Measurement, Commerce, and Open Protocols
Google is integrating its open-source Meridian marketing mix model into Google Analytics 360, adding a new Attributed Branded Searches metric to measure how YouTube ad exposure drives branded search. A new AI performance insights tool in Merchant Center will show how products perform across AI Mode, AI Overviews, and the Gemini app.
The company is also working with Walmart-backed Flipkart to bring its Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) to India. Launched in January, UCP is an open standard creating a common language for AI agents and shopping systems—a move that could streamline e-commerce interactions across platforms.
Read: Pinterest Debuts AI Business Assistant, Agentic Protocol, and Ask Pinterest App
Other updates include AI Max for Shopping, which uses Merchant Center feed context to enhance campaigns, and Dynamic Remarketing, which automatically re-engages lapsed customers with tailored creative. AI Brief, a Gemini feature, interprets marketing briefs against brand guardrails and shows real-time ad previews.
The India launch underscores Google’s bet that agentic AI will redefine search advertising. With competitors like Meta also pushing AI agents, the race is on to turn longer, intent-rich queries into measurable conversions—while balancing automation with the human touch of creators.
