Google’s Gemini AI Is Taking On Ad Fraud

What Marketers Should Know and Why Independent Protection Still Matters

Google has quietly been deploying its Gemini AI, a sophisticated system of multimodal large language models, across web and mobile apps to detect invalid traffic (IVT), including bots, accidental clicks, and deceptive placements. A pilot program running from December 2023 to October 2024 achieved a 40% reduction in mobile IVT stemming from “deceptive or disruptive” ads.

Gemini AI mimics human behavior by navigating apps and websites, taking screenshots, observing ad placements, and identifying when ad buttons are invisible yet registering impressions or when pop-ups force unwanted interaction. These detections are then routed through human review to ensure enforcement is accurate and precise.

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What Gemini AI Has Achieved So Far

• Mobile IVT saw a 40% reduction during the pilot 
• Detection speed and enforcement accuracy improved, though full automation hasn’t been achieved 
• IVT remains a major industry issue, Pixalate found IVT rates of 18% on web and 31% on mobile apps in Q1 2025 
• Google has aggressively targeted fraud at scale: removed 352 fraudulent Android apps (1.5B daily bid requests), ~200 more in February, and is suing a group responsible for malware on 10M+ devices.
• Google claims a 10,000-fold reduction in AI training data needed to detect policy violations, boosting efficiency.

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Where Gemini AI Helps, and Where It Falls Short

Strengths:

• Identifies deceptive formats like hidden ads, pop-ups, and accidental clicks with greater speed and accuracy.
• Improves policy enforcement and traffic quality within Google’s own ecosystem.

Limitations:

1. Incrementality and repeat clicks aren’t treated as IVT, inflating CAC without detection.
2. Reactive enforcement, ad spend may already be lost by the time action occurs.
3. Limited to Google’s platforms, it doesn't cover Meta, mobile and  affiliate networks.
4. No advertiser-level control or visibility, you can't customise thresholds or independently verify what’s being filtered.

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Why Independent Verification Still Matters

Even as Google advances its detection with Gemini AI, the system is designed for policy enforcement, not advertiser optimisation.

Google’s announcement reinforces a truth the industry has known for years, click fraud is a constantly moving target.

As Per Bjorke, Google’s director of product management for ad traffic quality, put it: "We make advancements. The bad actors change their behavior. We are making more advancements. They are changing their behavior.”

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TrafficGuard fills that gap with:

• Real-time prevention, blocking IVT before budgets are wasted.
• Cross-channel coverage, across Google, Meta, TikTok, programmatic, and affiliate networks.
• Rules you control, like click frequency caps and device-level blocking.
• Full transparency, tracking clicks from source through to conversion.
• Incrementality monitoring, preventing inflated CAC from repeat user activity.

This independent layer complements Google’s efforts, giving marketers stronger, more holistic protection, the separation of church and state.

That’s exactly where TrafficGuard comes in. Our platform works alongside Google’s protections, filling in the blind spots with independent, real-time, cross-channel detection and prevention.

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The Stakes Remain Real

With global IVT still at 18% on web and 31% on mobile apps as of Q1 2025, advertisers face substantial financial leakage, distorted performance signals, and wasted opportunities for growth.

Meanwhile, fraud continues to threaten publishers and users, as seen with malware-driven schemes and the interruption of emergency services.

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Final Takeaway

Google’s Gemini AI is a meaningful step in reducing ad fraud, but it's not a complete solution. It doesn't stop repeat clicks, lacks cross-platform scope, and doesn’t offer advertisers control or independent validation.

A layered defence, platform-level protections plus real-time, cross-channel verification, is the best way to safeguard campaign performance.

👉 Run a free invalid traffic audit with TrafficGuard to uncover what platform-level tools may still be missing. Honest clarity, no strings attached.

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FAQs About Google Gemini AI and Ad Fraud

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1.  Does Google’s Gemini AI protect my ads on every platform?

No. Gemini AI’s protections are designed to work within Google’s own ad ecosystem, such as Google Ads and Google Ad Manager. If you run ads on Meta, Third Party Mobile Networks, or affiliate networks, those platforms are outside the scope of Gemini’s detection. This is why independent, cross-platform protection is critical to ensure all your channels are safeguarded from invalid traffic.

2. Is Gemini AI detecting ad fraud in real time?

Google’s pilot programme combines AI detection with human review. While AI speeds up detection, most enforcement still happens after the ad has served. That means your budget could still be spent before IVT is removed. With TrafficGuard, detection and blocking happen in real time, before invalid clicks or impressions eat into your spend.

3. What kinds of invalid traffic can Gemini AI detect?

According to Google, Gemini AI has been effective at spotting:

• Hidden or hard-to-see ads that still register impressions
• Disruptive pop-ups and manipulative placements
• Accidental clicks

However, IVT can also include bots, malware-driven traffic, click farms, and non-incremental clicks, all of which can occur across multiple platforms. These threats often require full-funnel monitoring.

4. How does Google’s Gemini AI compare to dedicated click fraud protection software?

Gemini AI improves Google’s own policy enforcement, but it’s not designed to be an advertiser-first prevention tool. Dedicated click fraud prevention software like TrafficGuard gives you:

• Complete cross-channel coverage
• Full transparency into each click and conversion
• Custom rules and thresholds for blocking
• Real-time prevention, not just post-click enforcement

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