• by Laurie Sullivan , Yesterday

As platforms built on artificial intelligence (AI) continue to write, rewrite and build everything from complete advertisements to website copy, remaining “ethical” has become a major concern for brands.

During a call with agencies and advertisers on Wednesday, Microsoft Advertising said it has taken steps to enforce word choice and claims in ad copy -- a process that is similar to how the BBB National Programs, National Advertising Division monitors claims.

Microsoft editorial policies are slightly different than those of Google, Meta, and others, Navah Hopkins, Microsoft Advertising Ads Liaison, said during a presentation about the connection between copy and claims.

“If you claim that you are the best, there needs to be third-party verification supporting the claim,” she said, explaining how any trademarks used must be the property of the company using it or have written confirmation of use.

Advertisements must be written in the same language of the keywords. Marketers cannot use ads written in Spanish and then have a list of keywords written in English, or the reverse.

Advertisers also must work through an appeals process. Microsoft’s security and safety team will support advertisers, and part of that process is checking for fraudulent activity. Hopkins urged advertisers to create an appeal rather than a second account because it will appear more fraudulent.

As advertising and media industries adopt AI to improve performance and efficiency, companies must implement AI ethically and responsibly.

Google will extend its AI age estimation technology across many of its platforms, after announcing plans to restrict underage users on YouTube.

The company has announced that it will begin to detect whether users based in the U.S. are under 18 years of age.

Age estimation will impact a “small set” of users to start as it rolls out during the next few weeks. Information that a user has searched for or the types of YouTube videos they watch will help to determine their age.

Integral Ad Science (IAS), which reports that it has analyzed up to 280 billion ad interactions daily through AI-powered models. also announced today that is has achieved the first Ethical Artificial Intelligence Certification from the Alliance for Audited Media. The certification establishes a precedent for responsible AI implementation in digital advertising as the industry processes billions of daily interactions through automated systems.

This certification granted to IAS is based on AAM’s Ethical AI framework and encompasses key areas such as disclosure, human oversight, privacy, bias mitigation and risk management. 

Focusing on “narrow AI” that solves specific industry challenges in agriculture, healthcare, automotive, pharmaceutical and other industries will become imperative.