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Google's AI Ad Tools Could Expand Budget Share, Ease AI Competition Fears, UBS Says

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Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) unit Google's new AI ad tools should help reduce concerns about competition from AI rivals, support Search and YouTube revenue growth and help the company win more advertising budget from social platforms, UBS Securities said.

Google is using its own user data and Gemini to better understand buyer intent and help advertisers improve returns from ad spending. The new AI ad formats in Search and shopping could make ads more useful to users and may help Search revenue grow faster for longer, the investment firm said in a note Thursday.

Google is also building tools for agent-based shopping, including native checkout in AI Search, which could make Google harder for AI startups to displace, UBS said.

New Google Analytics 360 tools could help advertisers compare results across Google and social platforms which could give Google a better chance to win budget from Meta Platforms (META), TikTok and Pinterest (PINS).

The new Gemini tools for advertisers and YouTube creators should lower ad creation costs, improve campaign management and support more spending on Google, according to the note.

UBS kept its neutral rating and $410 price target for Alphabet, saying its Search and YouTube revenue estimates already include stronger future monetization.

Price: $383.05, Change: $-0.42, Percent Change: -0.11%

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