If you’re running Performance Max campaigns without video assets, Google may still create video ads for your campaign.
That part is not new. Performance Max has long been built around automation, and video is one of the creative gaps Google can fill when advertisers do not provide their own assets. Google’s own documentation states that if you don’t add video to a Performance Max asset group, one or more videos may be auto-generated from the assets in that group. For campaigns connected to Merchant Center, Google may also generate video using feed text and product images.
The takeaway is simple: not uploading video does not necessarily keep your campaign out of video placements. It can mean Google has more influence over what your video creative looks like.
What Are Auto-Generated Videos in Performance Max?
Auto-generated videos are videos Google creates using the assets already available in your campaign. That can include text, images, brand guidelines, product feed images, Merchant Center content, and other creative inputs. Google says these videos can be generated in multiple orientations, including horizontal, square, and vertical formats.
In practice, these videos often feel like templated slideshows: product images, service images, text overlays, transitions, and music packaged into a short video ad.
That can be useful in some cases. It gives campaigns access to video inventory without requiring a full production process. But it can also create brand risk. If the available images, headlines, or product feed assets are not strong, the resulting video may look generic, off-brand, or less persuasive than something your business would intentionally create.
Why This Matters for Advertisers
Performance Max is designed to find conversions across Google’s inventory, including Search, Shopping, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail, and Maps. Creative assets help determine where and how those ads show up.
When video is missing, Google may create video assets so the campaign can be eligible for more video inventory. That can help expand reach, but it also means the campaign may use a video asset that no one on your team planned, reviewed, or produced with a clear brand message in mind.
The issue is not that Google can create videos. The issue is what happens when auto-generated video is the only video option available.
See for Yourself
Here’s a real example: an auto-generated ad Google produced for our client, Power Plumbing. The ad pulled a generic tagline, “We Will Get The Job Done Right,” and assembled it into a simple slideshow-style video.
The message is not necessarily wrong. But it is not distinctive. It does not communicate much about the company’s expertise, service quality, local presence, or customer trust. For a potential customer comparing multiple providers, that kind of creative may not do enough to stand out.
That is the core concern with relying on default video automation. It may technically create a video, but it may not create the right video.
What’s Actually New: More AI Video Creation Tools
The bigger recent development is not that Performance Max suddenly started auto-generating videos. It is that Google is giving advertisers more AI-powered tools to create video assets directly inside Google Ads.
Google’s Performance Max documentation says advertisers can use Google AI to help build asset groups, including text, image, logo, and video assets, while still reviewing and selecting the assets before using them. Google has also been expanding Veo in Google Ads, allowing advertisers to generate video variations from static images. Google says Veo can generate videos up to 10 seconds long from uploaded images and package them into ready-to-serve ads through templates.
Industry coverage has also spotted a new “Create video” button appearing inside the Performance Max workflow, which points to Google continuing to make AI video creation more accessible inside campaign setup and asset creation flows.
That distinction matters. Auto-generated video is what Google may create when you do not provide video. AI video creation tools are what advertisers can use to create more intentional video assets before the system fills the gap for them.
What Advertisers Should Do Instead
1. Audit your Performance Max asset groups
Start by identifying which asset groups do and do not have video assets. Look at the creative being used, check asset-level reporting, and preview any automatically created assets where available. Google says auto-generated videos in Performance Max can be previewed in Asset Group details and labeled as “Automatically created” under the Source column.
2. Upload your own video assets whenever possible
The best way to reduce reliance on auto-generated video is to provide stronger video creative yourself.
That does not always require a large production budget. Short-form product clips, repurposed social videos, customer testimonial cuts, brand explainers, service demos, and vertical mobile-friendly videos can all give Performance Max better inputs to work with.
Google recommends adding videos in multiple orientations and notes that if you do not have video, Google may create videos automatically when possible.
3. Use Google’s AI tools as a starting point, not a substitute for strategy
Google’s AI video tools can help advertisers who do not have existing video assets. They can reduce production friction and give teams a faster way to create campaign-ready video.
But they still need human review. Before using any AI-created video, check the messaging, imagery, product accuracy, tone, brand fit, and landing page alignment. Google also advises advertisers to review generated or suggested assets to make sure they are accurate, not misleading, and compliant with policies and applicable laws.
4. Review available controls in your account
Google has added more reporting and controls for creative video automation in Performance Max, including visibility into automatically enhanced videos and controls that can turn off certain types of creative automation or remove individual system-generated assets. Availability and exact settings may vary, so advertisers should check what is live in their own accounts.
5. Consider campaign structure, not just creative fixes
For e-commerce advertisers, Standard Shopping may still have a role when the goal is more product-level control and a narrower Shopping-focused approach. Google’s Shopping campaign documentation still describes Shopping campaigns as a way to promote products using Merchant Center data, and Google’s setup flow allows advertisers to choose either Performance Max or proceed with a Shopping campaign.
That does not mean every advertiser should move away from Performance Max. It means video automation should be part of the broader conversation about channel mix, creative control, reporting needs, and business goals.
The Bottom Line
Performance Max can auto-generate videos when advertisers do not provide their own. That is not a new deadline or a sudden switch being flipped. It is an important part of how Performance Max fills creative gaps and expands campaign eligibility.
The opportunity for advertisers is to take more control before automation makes creative decisions for them.
Upload stronger video assets. Review what Google creates. Use AI video tools thoughtfully. Keep your brand standards intact. The algorithm can be powerful, but it performs best when it has strong, intentional, creative inputs to work with.
If you’re unsure how your Performance Max campaigns are using video, now is a good time to audit your asset groups and build a stronger video strategy.
Need help building a video strategy before the deadline? Contact Logical Position to talk through your options.
