Google quietly updated one of its Google Ads help pages with a clarification that could raise concerns for some advertisers. The updated documentation suggests that search terms shown in reporting for AI-powered Search experiences may not always reflect a user’s exact query. Instead, some reported search terms may represent Google’s interpretation of user intent. The change applies to experiences tied to AI Mode, AI Overviews, Google Lens, and autocomplete. Search Terms Reports have long been used to understand query intent, identify negative keywords, review compliance concerns, and spot optimization opportunities. While the report has never provided full visibility, advertisers generally assumed that when a search term appeared in reporting, it reflected the actual query entered by the user. For some newer AI-powered Search experiences, that may no longer be the case. What Google Changed The updated language appears within Google’s help documentation around ad group prioritization .…