Google is now using Gemini to catch malicious ads before they go live. That sounds promising, but with scammers also using AI to make their attacks more convincing, we’ll see whether these defenses can really keep up as we sit down and sync up with Rocket IT’s weekly technology update.

In this episode, you’ll hear more about:

• How Google is using Gemini to catch malicious ads before they go live
• Why malicious ads remain a serious threat for businesses and users
• How scammers are using generative AI to make fake ads more convincing
• The types of threats these ads can lead to, including fake login pages, malware, and scam sites
• How Google says Gemini looks beyond keywords to detect suspicious advertiser behavior
• What Google’s latest numbers reveal about the scale of malicious advertising

Video Transcript

Malicious ads have been a problem for years. Attackers use them to impersonate trusted brands, push people to fake login pages, distribute malware, or send users to scam sites built to steal money or sensitive information.

Now Google says scammers are using generative AI to make those campaigns faster, more convincing, and harder to catch. In response, the company says it is expanding its use of Gemini to help detect and block harmful ads at a larger scale.

According to Google, Gemini helps by looking beyond the words inside an ad. The company says its systems can analyze account age, behavior patterns, campaign activity, and other signals to better judge whether an advertiser appears legitimate or deceptive.

Google says that approach is helping. The company reported that its systems caught more than 99 percent of policy-violating ads before they were shown, blocked or removed more than 8.3 billion ads in 2025, and suspended 24.9 million advertiser accounts. That also included 602 million scam-related ads and 4 million scam-related accounts.

Those are big numbers, but they also tell a second story. The threat is still massive. If Google had to take action on that many ads and accounts, that’s a reminder that bad actors are still finding plenty of ways to abuse major platforms

Google also says Gemini is helping it move faster when a bad ad slips through. By the end of last year, the company says the majority of Responsive Search Ads were reviewed instantly, and harmful content could be blocked at submission. It also says it acted on more than four times as many user reports in 2025 as it did the year before.

That’s all encouraging, but it doesn’t mean businesses should assume malicious ads are no longer a problem. So, the bigger takeaway here is not that AI is solving the problem. It’s that AI is now part of both sides of the fight. Attackers are using it to scale deception, and large platforms are using it to improve detection. For businesses, that means staying realistic. Better defenses are good news, but they do not replace good judgment, layered security, and safe browsing habits.

That is where an IT partner can help. Rocket IT helps businesses strengthen user awareness, review security layers, and build safer habits so one convincing ad does not turn into a larger security issue. For help, contact Rocket IT using the link in this video’s description. And to stay up to date on trending technology new, hit that subscribe button and the bell to catch us on next week’s episode of Sync Up with Rocket IT.