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A university study determined that only half of artificial intelligence-generated ads are open about the fact they were created by bots, potentially tricking consumers into false beliefs or causing confusion and dissatisfaction.
Researchers from the University of Kansas and Florida State University analyzed 1,375 AI-generated ads found on social media, news sites, search engines and video platforms in exploring the high frequency of usage in programmatic advertising.
The primary problem with the lack of transparency is that humans must follow guidelines set forth by agencies such as the FCC and FTC when creating advertising content, but AI is not bound by such restrictions so far.
“AI is not just a passive technology anymore,” said Vaibhav Diwanji, lead author of the study and a professor of journalism & mass communications at the University of Kansas, in a press release. “It’s actively being engaged in what we think — and in a way, how we make our decisions. The process has become more automated and is taking over the role of creative content online.”
The arrival of ChatGPT, DALL-E and other advanced AI tools has sparked speculation on how the technology may impact search advertising as well as certain jobs in sectors such as journalism, higher education and software design.
Some have called out the technologies’ shortcomings in replacing humans. CNET issued corrections to mistakes made in over half of the AI-written articles recently attributed to its CNET Money team, including plagiarism.
AI-generated ad content should significantly reduce production costs, leading to speculation on whether marketing costs overall could be coming down.
According to an Adweek article, brands would likely employ AI-generated ads if engagement, ratings and reach are compelling. On the downside, marketers will likely be busy cleaning up errors and need to filter through a flood of inferior ad content hitting the marketplace.
“The internet has no shortage of mediocre content at scale,” Jon Roberts, the chief innovation officer at Dotdash Meredith, told Adweek. “This is a new version of an age-old temptation.”
- Study finds only about half of AI-generated ads only labeled as such – Eurekalert
- AI-Generated Content Is Here. Should Advertisers Buy It? – Adweek
- ChatGPT in advertising: Will clients pay the same for AI-generated campaigns? – Campaign Asia
- Is AI A Risk To Creativity? The Answer Is Not So Simple – Entrepreneur
- Tech-driven marketing strategies pick up as AR/VR and AI become more accessible – Digiday
- CNET found errors in more than half of its AI-written stories – The Verge