Ogilvy is leading the charge with a crackdown on AI-generated social media advertising as it calls for an industry-wide change of policy, in an act dubbed the ‘AI Accountability Act’.
The policy, the first of its kind to be championed by an agency, would require advertising companies, PR agencies and social media platforms to clearly declare the use of any AI-generated Influencer content, using the hashtag #poweredbyAI.
In a move that mirrors current regulations surrounding influencers and advertising content – where the hashtags #paidpartnership or #ad are used to reveal collaborations with brands, Ogilvy is calling for a #poweredbyAI hashtag to encourage full transparency when using AI influencers.
The creative agency hopes that using the new watermark on AI-generated content will drive policy change and allow social media platforms to disclose AI collaborations.
“The ability of AI to create and learn at speed has already transformed the way we produce personalized content online. But AI must be centred around empathy and transparency,” said Ogilvy PR, global CEO, Julianna Richter.
“That’s where you create honest interactions with consumers and can drive real impact at the intersection of new digital capabilities.”
The move comes after India’s Advertising Standards Council made history last year as the first national watchdog to enforce clear declaration rules around AI-generated Influencer content.
Since then other notable names in the industry have also acknowledged a problem: Meta has recognised the growing need for ethical guidelines and Tiktok has updated its community guidelines to include visible marking on some realistic AI influencers.
Subscribe to Marketing Beat for free
Sign up here to get the latest marketing news sent straight to your inbox each morning
“The AI market is valued at £3.5 billion ($4.6 billion) and projected to grow by 26% by 2025, in large part because of the growing increase using AI in Influence. As leaders in this industry, we have the responsibility to be ethical and transparent as we populate this new frontier,” said Ogilvy’s global head of influence, Rahul Titus.
“The technological advances using AI are exciting for the Influencer marketing landscape but runs the risk of compromising authenticity if we don’t declare the difference between what’s real and what’s not.”
Ogilvy’s new AI act also follows the wake of its ‘inclusive influence’ initiative, which saw the agency stop working with influencers who edited their face or body across paid and sponsored content.
