Citizens JMP analyst Andrew Boone upgraded Alphabet GOOGL GOOG from Market Perform to Market Outperform with a price forecast of $220 on Thursday.Boone’s upgraded outlook is primarily driven by the belief that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will serve as a net tailwind for Google. He argues that the impact of ChatGPT on diverting search queries away from Google is currently negligible and insufficient to materially affect its results.Conversely, AI is seen as expanding Google’s search opportunities by address ...

Core Insights - Google showcased next-generation AI-driven advertising solutions at the annual Google Marketing Live event, aiming to reshape the future of advertising and shopping by enhancing precision, creativity, and measurable decision-making [1] Group 1: AI Innovations in Advertising - Google introduced a series of innovative AI-driven advertising tools, including Lens, AI Overviews, and AI Mode, to revolutionize search methods and expand advertising reach [1] - The AI Overviews feature will be extended to desktop users in the U.S. and will gradually roll out to more regions on mobile and desktop devices, with testing of ad integration in AI Mode responses already underway [1] Group 2: Creative Tools and Features - Enhanced tools supported by advanced video and image generation models like Veo and Imagen will soon be available on Google Ads and Merchant Center [2] - The new Asset Studio will serve as a unified creative suite for Google Ads, allowing centralized management of visual tools, while "Generated for You" will automatically identify content opportunities for Product Studio merchants [2] Group 3: Campaign Optimization - Google launched AI Max for search ad campaigns, introducing the most significant bidding feature update in a decade, Smart Bidding Exploration, which utilizes AI and flexible Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) targets to uncover high-conversion searches [3] - The AI-driven advertising solutions presented at the event are expected to inject new momentum into the marketing industry, leading to a smarter and more efficient development phase in advertising [3]