For Australian small businesses, the value of AI currently lies in its ability to automate and enhance marketing processes through platforms like the Google Marketing Platform (GMP). These platforms utilise machine learning algorithms to analyse data and optimise campaigns, functioning by identifying patterns in user behaviour and predicting outcomes to improve advertising performance.
As of December 2025, GMP now includes Performance Max campaigns powered by AI. These campaigns ingest data across all Google Ads inventory – Search, Display, YouTube, Discover, Gmail, and Maps – and automatically generate ad creative variations and bidding strategies. The system learns from real-time performance data, adjusting bids and creative combinations to maximise conversions based on pre-defined goals. Australian businesses benefit from GMP’s local data integration, ensuring campaigns are relevant to the Australian market. Google’s Privacy Sandbox initiatives, rolling out in 2026, will impact data availability, but GMP is designed to adapt to these changes. In 2027, Google has announced further integration of generative AI to assist with asset creation directly within the platform. Pricing remains based on ad spend, with GMP itself being a platform fee rather than a fixed cost.
Essentially, these AI-powered marketing platforms operate by continuously analysing data and automating adjustments to improve campaign effectiveness.
