Google Unveils AI-Powered Tools to Accelerate Business Growth in Nigeria

Google is bringing a new wave of innovation to Nigerian businesses with a series of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered advertising tools designed to enhance digital visibility and streamline marketing operations. The new features were unveiled at the 2025 edition of Google Marketing Live (GML), an annual event where the tech giant showcases its latest breakthroughs in advertising and commerce technology. These advancements are expected to help businesses across Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa drive customer engagement, improve ad performance, and stay competitive in an increasingly digital marketplace.

A New Era of Advertising: AI-Generated Search and Ad Overviews

One of the most exciting innovations introduced at GML 2025 is the integration of advertisements into AI-generated search overviews. This feature allows businesses to appear in search results powered by generative AI, which produces quick, summarized answers for users based on their queries. As this mode of search gains popularity due to its speed and convenience, it also opens up expanded opportunities for advertisers to reach broader audiences. According to Google, this approach has already seen a rise in user engagement and offers advertisers a new frontier to explore. These AI Overviews, when combined with Google’s vast search volume, provide a dynamic environment where ads can perform better and deliver more targeted results. In addition to AI search ads, Google is also introducing a “New AI Mode Ads” feature, which leverages machine learning to create and place relevant ads based on real-time user intent and behavior. This means businesses can now get their messages in front of the right people at precisely the right time—making their advertising efforts not just smarter, but also more cost-effective.

Smarter Operations Through AI Marketing Assistants

Another major highlight is the introduction of AI Marketing Assistants—virtual helpers designed to make campaign management more efficient. These assistants are built into Google’s Ads platform and are capable of automating repetitive tasks, offering real-time campaign insights, and providing personalized support to advertisers. For Nigerian entrepreneurs, startups, and SMEs, these AI tools could be transformational. They allow smaller teams to run sophisticated ad campaigns with less manual work, while still maintaining a high level of control and customization. As digital competition intensifies, tools like these can help level the playing field, allowing even small businesses to punch above their weight in the online advertising space.

Olumide Balogun, Google’s Director for West Africa, emphasized the importance of these tools, stating, “In Sub-Saharan Africa, the digital landscape is experiencing explosive growth, making digital presence and AI adoption no longer an option, but a necessity for businesses to thrive and connect with their customers effectively.”

Visual Storytelling Redefined: Generative AI for Creative Content

In today’s digital world, visuals play a crucial role in brand storytelling. Recognizing this, Google also rolled out new generative AI features aimed at enhancing visual content creation. Among them are Image-to-Video Transformation and AI Outpainting, both of which give brands greater creative freedom. With Image-to-Video, static images can be converted into short, dynamic videos ideal for ad campaigns on social media and mobile platforms. AI Outpainting, on the other hand, intelligently extends videos beyond their original dimensions, automatically adjusting them to fit various screen sizes and formats. Currently available for Google Ads App campaigns, AI Outpainting will soon be extended to other campaign types, allowing advertisers to maintain brand consistency across platforms. These visual innovations are particularly valuable in a mobile-first market like Nigeria, where engaging content can significantly influence consumer behavior. By removing technical barriers to high-quality content production, Google is helping Nigerian businesses tell more compelling stories and do so at scale.