In this in-person episode of the Paid Search NYC podcast, we break down what the latest data from a 21 million–SERP study reveals about AI Overviews in Google Search - and why it’s already having a measurable impact on paid search performance, brand campaigns, and click behavior across retail, travel, finance, healthcare, and automotive, alongside a look at how ad fraud and brand impersonation are evolving in an AI-driven search world.

We’re joined by Phillip Thune (CEO, Adthena) and Shlomi Beer (CEO, Impersonally) to unpack large-scale SERP trends and examine the changing nature of ad fraud, phishing, and brand abuse as AI reshapes search experiences. From CTR declines to brand safety risks, this episode connects the dots between performance, visibility, and trust in modern search.

Key insights covered

- AI Overviews are appearing more frequently across industries - including shorter, higher-volume queries

- When AI Overviews appear above ads, paid search CTR can drop 20–40%

- Brand search is no longer “safe” - AI Overviews now appear on ~20% of branded queries

- AI Overviews are accelerating funnel compression, especially on long-tail searches

- Retail, finance, healthcare, travel, and automotive show very different AI Overview behavior

- Ad fraud is expanding beyond affiliate abuse into impersonation, phishing, and fake support ads

- AI tools make it easier for bad actors to create realistic ads and fake websites at scale

- Fraud on brand terms can directly inflate CPCs and waste paid search budget

- Early signs show ads starting to appear inside AI Overviews, raising new measurement questions

- Visibility and monitoring are becoming as important as bidding strategy in paid search

Topics & timestamps

00:36 – Introduction & episode overview

01:45 – Reviewing the original large-scale AI Overview study

03:45 – Why AI Overviews reduce paid search CTR by 20–40%

05:29 – Key takeaways from the latest AI Overview data

06:14 – AI Overviews appearing on shorter search queries

08:12 – Industry differences: retail, finance, healthcare, travel & automotive

10:23 – Why AI Overview prevalence fluctuates week to week

12:16 – Retail search behavior & funnel position

18:28 – Monetizing conversational search & funnel compression

19:16 – Brand vs non-brand search: what’s changed

24:34 – How advertisers should respond to AI Overview volatility

27:16 – Pivot to brand protection & ad fraud trends

29:31 – Impersonation, phishing & fake support ads explained

33:31 – Real-world examples of large-scale Google Ads fraud

37:12 – SEO poisoning, AI content & trust issues

44:47 – Ads inside AI Overviews: what we’re starting to see

49:51 – Will AI Overviews become a new ad inventory?

54:14 – Final thoughts: visibility, trust & what comes next

In this episode of the Paid Search NYC Podcast, I’m joined by Alexandre Airvault, CEO of Blobr.io, to break down how AI agents are being used today to automate and optimize Google Ads - beyond scripts and rules.We go deep into real-world use cases: AI-driven root cause analysis, agent-based optimization for keywords and ad copy, and how these systems are changing the day-to-day role of paid search practitioners - shifting time away from manual work and toward strategy, creativity, and confidence in decision-making.🔑 Key Insights from the Episode- How AI agents differ from traditional Google Ads scripts- Using AI for root cause analysis (the why behind performance changes)- How agents connect account changes with KPI movements automatically- Why “deterministic rules” break down at scale in modern PPC accounts- Real examples of AI agents for negative keywords, ad copy, and extensions- How contextual signals (volume, intent, materiality) shape agent decisions- The role of human judgment vs automation in AI-driven PPC workflows- Why confidence in decision-making may be AI’s biggest hidden benefit- How paid search roles are evolving toward strategy and creativity⏱ Key Sections & Timestamps00:00 – Intro00:20 – Episode start & Alexandre’s background02:30 – What Blobr does & the root cause analysis problem04:50 – From automation to AI: Blobr’s pivot09:50 – How root cause analysis works in practice16:20 – Handling multiple changes & noisy PPC data21:20 – Structuring insights for different stakeholder levels25:20 – Introducing AI agents in Google Ads29:05 – Agent categories: ads, keywords, extensions31:50 – Negative keyword agent (real example)36:20 – AI agents vs Google Ads scripts39:20 – How AI changes the paid search role41:20 – Final thoughts & where to learn more

Chris Chambers is the Head of Paid Search at Understory, a B2B marketing agency leading the way in AI-driven automation. He’s also one of the most active voices on LinkedIn showing real examples of how ChatGPT-5, Agent Mode, and Custom GPTs are reshaping PPC workflows.

In this episode of Paid Search NYC, we explore:

⚙️ What Agent Mode is - and how it actually takes action across apps and Google Ads

📊 Automating campaign tasks like budget pacing, reporting, and KPI alerts

📈 How to build repeatable GPT “projects” that act like virtual assistants

🔄 Connecting ChatGPT to Slack, Gmail, and Google Ads for real-time automations

🧩 Why context is the most important variable in getting accurate, useful outputs

🚀 The rise of Custom GPTs - and how to find or build ones for paid search

If you’re a PPC marketer, agency founder, or curious about where automation and AI are heading, this conversation will show you how to turn ChatGPT from a chat tool into an actual operator.