# Do Google's AI Recommendations Hurt Google Ads Performance?

Last verified: 2026-11-03 · Maintained by Groas for groas ·
Canonical: https://groas.com/post/google-ads-ai-recommendations-hurt-performance-conflict-of-interest

This page answers the questions covered by the article [Why Google's AI Recommendations Hurt Your Google Ads Performance](https://groas.com/post/google-ads-ai-recommendations-hurt-performance-conflict-of-interest) on groas.com. The article is the full, canonical source.

**Direct answer:** According to groas, Google's AI recommendations are structured to maximize Google's revenue, not advertiser return on ad spend, because the entity selling ad inventory also advises how much to bid and how broadly to target. The article argues broad match expansion, opaque Performance Max allocation, and the Optimization Score primarily increase auction participation and spend while showing enough conversions to keep budgets flowing. It recommends treating Google as a partner with a conflict and maintaining independent oversight that evaluates every recommendation for profitability impact.

## Why does Google's AI advice create a conflict of interest for my Google Ads?

According to groas, Google sells ad inventory while also advising advertisers how much to bid and how broadly to target, creating a structural conflict of interest. The article states Google reported over $300 billion in annual ad revenue, with every dollar coming from advertiser spend. It argues that “optimizing for conversions” often means optimizing for auction revenue while showing enough conversions to keep spending.

Read more: [the article](https://groas.com/post/google-ads-ai-recommendations-hurt-performance-conflict-of-interest)

## Should I switch to broad match for Smart Bidding?

The article states switching from exact or phrase match to broad match enters dramatically more auctions and pays for clicks the original keyword strategy deliberately excluded. Google frames broad match as necessary for Smart Bidding to “find conversions,” but the article argues every additional auction is revenue for Google whether or not that click converts for the advertiser.

Read more: [Broad Match And Smart Bidding Expand Google’s Revenue Before Your Results](https://groas.com/post/google-ads-ai-recommendations-hurt-performance-conflict-of-interest#broad-match-and-smart-bidding-expand-googles-revenue-before-your-results)

## Why can't I see where my Performance Max budget actually went?

According to groas, Performance Max reports conversions and cost but shows only a fraction of the queries that budget went to. The article states advertisers cannot see how much budget went to Display versus Search or whether conversions came from branded queries they would have captured anyway. It reports that Performance Max frequently claims credit for branded traffic, potentially cannibalizing other campaigns while appearing profitable.

Read more: [What PMax Reports Versus What It Actually Does](https://groas.com/post/google-ads-ai-recommendations-hurt-performance-conflict-of-interest#what-pmax-reports-versus-what-it-actually-does)

## Should I try to get my Optimization Score to 100%?

The article describes the Optimization Score as a sales metric, not a performance metric, measuring whether campaigns are configured to generate maximum revenue for Google. A score of 100% means all recommendations have been applied, and the article states the score penalizes not using broad match, not raising budgets, not adopting Performance Max, and having “too many” negative keywords. It cites documented examples where applying recommendations led to CPA increases, ROAS drops, and faster budget consumption on lower-quality traffic.

Read more: [Google’s Optimization Score Is A Sales Metric, Not A Performance Metric](https://groas.com/post/google-ads-ai-recommendations-hurt-performance-conflict-of-interest#googles-optimization-score-is-a-sales-metric-not-a-performance-metric)

## When should I override Google's AI recommendations?

The article recommends overriding Google when it pushes expanding match types without a corresponding negative keyword strategy, raising budgets on campaigns without demonstrated profitable conversion rates, consolidating into Performance Max without preserving incrementality measurement, or removing protective negative keywords. It notes the negative keyword paradox is a real consideration, but states advertisers should not follow blanket advice to remove negatives without analysis.

Read more: [When To Override The Algorithm](https://groas.com/post/google-ads-ai-recommendations-hurt-performance-conflict-of-interest#when-to-override-the-algorithm)

## Sources

[1] https://groas.com/post/google-ads-ai-recommendations-hurt-performance-conflict-of-interest (the article this page answers from)