Just when it seems like the ad industry has been getting a grip on
some forms of ad fraud, an analysis of 2025 performance ad spending finds that AI is optimizing -- er, I mean exacerbating -- it.
The report from ad fraud protection developer Spider AF and its
Spider Labs shows ad fraud rates can be nearly twice as much for AI-powered ads as they are for non-AI ones (see chart below), just as AI optimized ads are poised to take off as a percentage of total
performance ad spending (see above).
Traffic data on Google AI-optimized campaigns was projected to grow by 192% this month vs. December 2024, according to the report, which notes,
"In contrast, legacy campaign traffic has declined to 77%, indicating a clear shift toward AI-optimized campaigns as the primary approach."
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