AI and automation are disrupting the PPC space. More and more manual controls are being removed by Google and other major ad platforms and passed to automated AI-driven algorithms to handle.

In theory, automated systems like Performance Max simplify PPC and make it more accessible to more businesses. It takes just a few seconds to set up a rudimentary campaign, which is appealing to budget-focused small business owners.

But for PPC specialists who’ve spent years honing their craft, it’s pretty concerning. Google and other platforms have ploughed millions into building automated campaign types, so AI in PPC isn’t going anywhere. And as AI takes on even more of the practical in-platform tasks traditionally assigned to advertisers, PPC jobs could be in jeopardy.

Fortunately, you can futureproof your PPC career against AI and automation. It’s all about having the right mindset and developing your skills. In this episode of the Paid Media Podcast, Co-Founder of PPC Mastery Miles McNair talks us through becoming a T-shaped PPC specialist, and how this can help you thrive in the age of AI.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Coming up
1:33 - Intro
5:20 - Additional resources
6:46 - What is a T-Shaped Google Ads Specialist?
13:47 - How Miles became a T-Shaped specialist
18:42 - Optimizers vs. Maximizers
21:26 - Broadening your value proposition
29:09 - The AI risk for marketing jobs
32:12 - Key books & resources for marketers
37:00 - Should you be worried about the 'AI apocalypse'
44:56 - Zuckerberg's fully-automated marketing future
48:28 - One piece of advice for marketers right now
50:28 - Final thoughts

Do advertisers need to worry about AI taking their jobs?

Newsfeed algorithms are pushing alarming headlines about the impending AI takeover pretty heavily right now. And people are already being affected by AI-related layoffs. In October 2025, Amazon said they intend to cut 30,000 jobs and increase their use of artificial intelligence tools. In summer, Microsoft confirmed it was investing more in AI and planning to lay off 9,000 workers. 

Big tech firms are actively making the switch to AI. So do advertisers need to worry about their jobs? Miles says that while we need to prepare for changes to our careers, AI isn’t taking over just yet:

“I think we're way, way, way off from an AI apocalypse or super intelligence from AI, where it's going to do everything for everyone instantly and at no cost. I think that's really far away.

It sounds really nice — like, yeah, we can replace all our customer service or at least 80% of it with AI tools — but then the AI tool itself is just pure trash. So it doesn't work in practice. The headlines score because it sounds intriguing, but I have yet to see big companies that are actually leveraging AI in a way that makes sense.”

So it’s not all doom and gloom, but it’s undeniable that AI is changing the way advertising works. PMax and other automated campaign types are already generating assets, limiting visible analytics, and removing manual campaign controls, meaning there’s less advertisers can actually do in-platform. And this is only going to continue as AI becomes more sophisticated. So advertisers may need to prove their worth in other ways.

What’s the risk to PPC marketers?

Miles shares his view on the biggest risks to PPC specialists posed by AI developments in PPC:

"I guess the biggest risk is that your edge is just going to disappear. And by your edge, I mean your competitive edge compared to other specialists. If the added value you bring to your clients only comes from what you do inside the ad platform, then I think within a couple of years, it's going to be really hard for you to convince clients that you are the specialist that they should be working with.

More and more of the controls that we were used to having are going to disappear if they haven't disappeared already. So I think the biggest risk is just relying too much on a skillset that is losing its value.”

As Miles says, there’s only so much practical work you can really do in PPC platforms these days. Google, Meta, and other platforms are simplifying their automated programs so it’s really easy for novice advertisers to set up a campaign without the help of a specialist or agency. Miles explains:

“Look at what PMax does for small businesses in terms of giving them the feeling that they can actually set up and run their own Google Ads campaigns.

Even though, when a business owner launches their own PMax campaigns, it's probably not set up correctly or managed correctly, they can still do it. So for them, the perception, especially if they're talking to reps instead of actual specialists, they will probably think that they're doing something right.”

Making PPC more widely accessible is good for ad platform profits, but less reassuring for PPC specialists and agencies, as it narrows the marketplace for your skills. 

Even established agencies and specialists can expect changes. Since the actual practical PPC work is decreasing, clients may take a closer look at your billed hours. Justifying your rate in terms of time may become more difficult — so PPC specialists need to think about how they can bring value that justifies their cost. That’s where expanding your skills to become a T-shaped Google ads specialist could help.

What is a T-shaped Google ads specialist?

Here’s Miles’s definition of a T-shaped Google ads specialist:

“Traditional specialists have one core specialism, which is, in our case, Google Ads. But it could also be you're doing Meta ads or display or whatever it is that is your core specialization. And you don't really have any other skills on top of that because you're responsible for managing your campaigns. Google Ads, Meta Ads, etc.

T-shaped specialists have deep skills in their core specialization. So for Google ads, you know all about it, you have deep specialization in tracking, targeting, ads, keywords, everything that goes into managing Google ads campaigns. But then on top of that, you stack broad knowledge of a lot of skills that are complementary to your core specialization.”

T-shaped specialists aren’t unique to PPC, but it’s a framework that fits easily in the performance marketing sector. Dozens of other skills complement PPC, from landing page optimization to copywriting to attribution modelling.

To be T-shaped, you don’t need to know these skills to the same degree as your core specialism. But you need enough of an understanding that you can apply them effectively to PPC campaigns, and use them to spot opportunities for optimization that might evade traditional I-shaped specialists.

T-shaped Google ads specialist profiles

Choosing which strings to add to your bow is one of the most exciting aspects of becoming a T-shaped PPC specialist. While there’s no prescribed formula, Miles says there are five major profiles that most T-shaped Google ads specialists fit:

As Miles explains, there’s no right or wrong way to become a T-shaped Google ads specialist. There are tons of skillsets you can layer on top of your PPC specialism, whether you stick to one of the profiles above, or borrow from different categories.

How to broaden your skillset to become T-shaped

Knowing what to focus on when there are so many complementary areas to explore can be tricky. Your chosen profile depends on a few different factors, but Miles recommends starting with what you enjoy:

“Start with what you are good at naturally, and what you enjoy. Start to layer those things on top of your Google ad skillset. Having curiosity is one of the most important things ever, because the more curious you are, the more you want to learn. And the more you learn, then the better you get.”

As well as what you enjoy, consider what you’re good at, what you’re interested in, and what skills are in demand. These don’t always overlap, but it’s important that your expanded skills are interesting enough that you’ll want to develop and improve. You also want them to be commercially valuable. Combining these elements can give you fulfillment alongside futureproofing your career:

“What is the thing that is going to give you joy? Because you're doing something that you love. You're doing something that you're good at, which is always nice. If you're interested and good at something, you just want to keep going. If you can be paid for it because the world needs it, then you know it's a skillset that is in demand. Then, yeah, the sky really becomes the limit.”

You might also need to adjust your mindset, especially if you don’t consider yourself a naturally curious person. Rather than looking at your career exclusively through the lens of Google ads, you’ll need to take a more holistic view. Miles explains:

“T-shaped Google Ads specialists definitely make sure that they optimize, but they’re also maximizers, 100%. And that's the biggest mindset shift as a T-shaped specialist, because you're now looking beyond just Google Ads and you're leaving the bubble or the tunnel vision that you have.

You start to broaden your horizon to what else is possible, and where the really big gains are to be made.”

Finding those big gains is where you can differentiate yourself from the rest of the PPC pack. Rather than getting small gains with a few in-platform tweaks, T-shaped specialists achieve massive improvements thanks to their ability to maximize performance both in the platform and outside of it.

Human interaction is still essential

There’s no doubt that AI is having a seismic impact on advertising and the workforce, so it’s no surprise that PPC marketers are feeling the effects. But despite the headlines and hype, people still want human interaction over AI. Miles says: 

“I think we're going to see a big resurgence of how happy we are when we're actually interacting with a real human. Which is crucial for the future of the internet 100% because otherwise it's just bots interacting with bots. So I think more and more people are going to become much happier when they're actually talking to a real human, especially for customer service.”

PPC specialists are still essential in the ad space. While it’s theoretically easy to set up a PMax or Advantage+ campaign, it’s a lot harder to get good results. So business owners still rely on skilled PPC specialists to optimize their campaign spend.

Many PPC experts are leveraging AI to boost their value to clients by improving their own productivity and efficiency. Clients benefit from the speed of AI and the reasoning power of a human, increasing your value and their return on investment.

No matter which areas you branch into, it’s clear that stacking up your skillset is going to pay dividends as AI takes on more of the manual labour involved in PPC management. Miles says diversifying your skillset is the biggest thing you can do to futureproof your PPC career:

“The more broad skills that you can stack on top of your core expertise, the more diversified and unique your skillset is going to be, then the more futureproofed against AI you will be as a specialist.

If you don't do that and you stick to only having your core channel expertise, then I think in the upcoming years it's going to be difficult for you. So just diversifying your skillset, working on your T-shaped skillset, I think that is the best thing that you can do for your career moving forward.”

Top tips for diversifying your ads specialist skillset 

If you’re ready to start branching out to become a T-shaped ads specialist, here’s a round-up of Miles’s top tips:

• Adopt a maximizer mindset — Look beyond in-platform tweaks that bring small improvements, and chase gains that come from bigger changes outside the ad platform.
• Start with what you enjoy — From human psychology to SEO to technical data management, dozens of interesting areas can complement your current ad knowledge. Start with your areas of interest and go from there.
• Play to your strengths — Improve areas you’re already good at to boost your value to clients more quickly.
• Consider commercial value — Think about in-demand skills that aren’t easily replicated by AI. These areas can bring long-term value to your career.
• Use AI to your advantage — If you’re tech-minded, go beyond ChatGPT and think about how you can use AI tools to improve your own efficiency.
• Read about tactics and mindset — Read widely around your chosen specialisms, but also about self-development. (Miles recommends The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss and Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia.)
• Keep on top of your core specialism — Continue to develop your core in-platform PPC skills, including conversion tracking setup and account structure.

Get more PPC insights in the Paid Media Podcast

Stacking more skills on top of your PPC expertise is going to be essential as AI becomes more integrated into all major ad platforms. But it’s still really important to bring your A game when it comes to PPC itself, whether it’s knowing about in-platform updates or best practices for using automated campaigns.

To stay up-to-date with all the latest PPC news, follow Miles on LinkedIn. And subscribe to the Paid Media Podcast on your favorite podcast platform for more performance marketing tips from the pros.