How to use AI features in Google Analytics 4?

The Short Version

Google Analytics 4 includes built-in AI capabilities designed to surface insights automatically and reduce manual analysis time. These features work across three main areas: automated insights, predictive modeling, and natural language exploration. Most CMOs can activate these features within their existing GA4 setup without additional tools or costs.

Core AI Features in GA4

1. Insights Intelligence (Automated Anomaly Detection)

Insights intelligence automatically flags unusual patterns in your data—traffic spikes, conversion drops, or audience behavior changes—without you running reports.

• How it works: GA4 continuously monitors your key metrics and alerts you when data deviates from expected patterns
• Where to find it: Home tab in GA4 (appears as cards with insights)
• What it catches: Sudden traffic changes, unusual user behavior, conversion rate anomalies
• Best for: Catching problems or opportunities you might miss in daily reporting

Enable this by ensuring your GA4 property has sufficient data history (at least 2 weeks of baseline data recommended for accuracy).

2. Predictive Audiences

Predictive audiences use machine learning to forecast which users are likely to churn, make a purchase, or hit a spending threshold in the next 7 or 30 days.

• Purchase likelihood: Identifies users most likely to buy in the next 7 days
• Churn prediction: Flags users at risk of not returning in the next 7 days
• Revenue prediction: Predicts users likely to spend above a threshold (e.g., $100+)
• How to use it: Build these audiences in GA4, then sync them to Google Ads, YouTube, or Gmail for targeted campaigns
• Requirements: At least 1,000 conversions in the past 30 days for the model to train effectively

These audiences update daily and integrate directly with your ad platforms, enabling real-time remarketing based on AI predictions.

3. AI-Powered Exploration (Natural Language Queries)

Exploration lets you ask questions in plain English rather than building custom reports. This is particularly useful for CMOs who want quick answers without technical setup.

• Example queries: "Which traffic sources drove the most revenue last month?" or "What's the conversion rate by device type?"
• Where to find it: Explore section in GA4 (left sidebar)
• Output: Automatically generates visualizations and breakdowns based on your question
• Limitation: Works best with clearly defined metrics and dimensions you've already configured

How to Set Up and Activate AI Features

Step 1: Verify Your GA4 Setup

1. Confirm you're using GA4 (not Universal Analytics, which is deprecated)
2. Check that you have admin access to your GA4 property
3. Ensure your property has been collecting data for at least 2 weeks (ideally 30+ days for predictive models)

Step 2: Enable Insights Intelligence

1. Go to Admin > Property Settings > Data Collection and Modification
2. Ensure Enhanced measurement is enabled
3. Return to your Home tab—insights will begin appearing automatically
4. Customize which insights matter most by adjusting thresholds in Insights Settings

Step 3: Set Up Predictive Audiences

1. Navigate to Audiences in the left sidebar
2. Click Create Audience and select Predictive
3. Choose your prediction type (purchase likelihood, churn, revenue)
4. Set your prediction window (7 or 30 days)
5. GA4 will build the model over 24-48 hours
6. Once ready, sync to Google Ads, YouTube, or Gmail for activation

Step 4: Use AI Exploration for Ad-Hoc Questions

1. Go to Explore in the left sidebar
2. Select Blank Exploration or a template
3. Type your question in natural language (e.g., "Show me conversion rate by campaign")
4. GA4 generates the analysis automatically
5. Refine by adding filters, date ranges, or breakdowns

Practical Use Cases for CMOs

Use Case 1: Identify Performance Anomalies

Instead of manually reviewing dashboards daily, Insights intelligence alerts you when:

• Traffic drops unexpectedly (potential site issue)
• Conversion rate spikes (successful campaign or data anomaly)
• A traffic source suddenly underperforms

Action: Set up alerts for your top 3-5 metrics, then investigate flagged anomalies within hours.

Use Case 2: Reduce Churn with Predictive Remarketing

Build a churn prediction audience and remarket to at-risk users before they leave:

• GA4 identifies users likely to churn in the next 7 days
• Sync this audience to Google Ads
• Run targeted retention campaigns (discounts, re-engagement content)
• Measure impact on repeat purchase rate

Expected outcome: 10-25% improvement in retention rates (varies by industry).

Use Case 3: Accelerate Reporting with Natural Language Queries

Instead of asking your analyst for a custom report on "revenue by campaign and device," use Exploration to answer it yourself in 2 minutes.

Benefit: Faster decision-making, reduced analyst workload, more self-service insights.

Limitations and Considerations

Data Requirements

• Insights intelligence: Works best with consistent daily traffic (low-traffic sites may see false positives)
• Predictive audiences: Requires 1,000+ conversions in 30 days to train accurately
• Exploration: Limited to dimensions and metrics you've configured in GA4

Privacy and Data Quality

• Ensure your GA4 implementation tracks the right events (e.g., "purchase," "sign_up")
• Use data filters to exclude internal traffic and bots
• Predictive models improve over time—expect 30-60 days for full accuracy

Integration Gaps

• Predictive audiences sync to Google Ads, YouTube, and Gmail but not all platforms
• For non-Google platforms, export audience data via BigQuery (requires GA4 360 or BigQuery setup)

Tools and Resources to Maximize GA4 AI

• Google Analytics 4 Help Center: Official documentation and setup guides
• BigQuery Integration: Export GA4 data for advanced analysis with SQL and machine learning
• Looker Studio: Build dashboards that visualize GA4 insights and predictive audiences
• Google Ads Integration: Activate predictive audiences directly in your ad platform

Bottom Line

GA4's AI features—Insights intelligence, Predictive audiences, and AI-powered exploration—are built-in and ready to use without additional costs. Start by enabling Insights intelligence to catch anomalies, then build predictive audiences for churn and purchase likelihood to fuel your remarketing strategy. Use natural language exploration to answer ad-hoc questions faster. These features work best with clean data and sufficient conversion volume, so prioritize your GA4 implementation quality first.