Google unveils new AI tools for brands, marketers in SEA – IT Brief Asia
Google has announced a suite of new artificial intelligence-powered tools for Search and YouTube aimed at brands and marketers in Southeast Asia.
These developments include applications designed to streamline ad placement, improve campaign optimisation, and aid creative asset production, targeting the increasingly diverse ways consumers interact with digital content.
Changing search and viewership patterns
Google and YouTube remain key channels for businesses in Southeast Asia as users increasingly rely on more interactive ways of searching for and consuming content. According to Google, over 5 trillion searches are conducted on the platform each year, with tools such as Google Lens, Circle to Search, AI Overviews, and AI Mode helping users move beyond typed queries to include voice, images, and video.
Data shows that Google Lens alone has seen 65% growth year-over-year globally, reaching more than 100 billion visual searches so far this year. It was also highlighted that Gen Z is now the most active demographic on Search, outpacing other age groups in daily queries. This shift presents new opportunities for advertisers to engage with users from the moment of discovery through to decision-making.
YouTube was identified as the top video platform in the Southeast Asian region, reaching more daily users than any other service. It is particularly popular among Gen Z audiences. Independent studies commissioned by Google note that YouTube creators are highly trusted in Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines when compared with creators on rival platforms.
Measurement of return on investment (ROI) from YouTube in Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam indicated higher performance than both linear television and competitive social platforms such as TikTok and Meta.
AI-powered ad tools
Google's latest announcements showcase features intended to give marketers more predictive and targeted capabilities. The newly announced Ads in AI Overviews in Search will be available later this year in English across the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. This feature is intended to connect businesses with audiences at key moments of high curiosity and consideration. Previously, this functionality had launched in other markets such as the US for both desktop and mobile platforms.
The Asset Studio offers a centralised workspace within Google Ads that uses generative AI, including Google's Imagen and Veo models, to create a variety of creative assets. It is designed to help marketers produce multiple versions of high-performing visual and video content efficiently.
AI Max for Search, another tool, leverages Google's Gemini models to scan websites and advertisements, automatically generating headlines that reflect what users are searching for in real time. Notably, no long keyword lists are required. Shopee's participation in a 5-week campaign trial in Singapore and Malaysia yielded a 100% increase in conversions and a 49% greater return on investment.
AI Mode, described as Google's most advanced AI search, provides deeper reasoning abilities and supports multimodal interactions. Early testers have been observed using significantly more complex queries compared to traditional search methods. Google plans to begin testing integrated ads within AI Mode in the US in the near future.
YouTube Creator Partnerships Hub
The YouTube Creator Partnerships Hub is now available in Singapore and Indonesia. It uses AI-powered search functions, allowing marketers to identify creators by category, trend, or keyword, and access detailed insights about their audiences before initiating collaborations. These partnerships can then be measured for performance and promoted as advertisements, with plans to expand the availability of the hub to further markets.
Agentic AI in advertising and analytics
Google is introducing agentic AI capabilities into its Ads and Analytics products. These features learn from marketing inputs such as landing pages and performance data, enabling automatic campaign generation, optimisation, and ongoing management. For marketers, this translates to automated real-time keyword suggestions and content adjustments in ads, as well as improved instant insights in analytics tools.
According to Google, the latest AI-powered product releases reinforce its role in supporting advertisers amid shifting consumer behaviour in Southeast Asia, with the goal of providing marketers predictive and actionable insights across Search and YouTube's ad platforms.
