Facebook parent Meta (META) says it will require advertisers to disclose when they use artificial intelligence to alter content in political ads.
According to Meta head of global affairs Nick Clegg, the new policy applies to Facebook and Instagram ads that use AI to make it appear as though a person is “saying or doing something they did not say or do,” create “a realistic-looking person that does not exist or a realistic-looking event that did not happen, or alter footage of a real event that happened.”
Similarly, advertisers will need to reveal if they are using AI to depict “a realistic event that allegedly occurred, but that is not a true image, video, or audio recording of the event.”
Meta will then affix a notice to the ad saying it has been manipulated using the technology. The new measure will go into effect in the new year.
Advertisers won’t have to disclose AI changes to ads related to image and video quality issues ranging from color and size to cropping, however.
According to Clegg, ads created using AI designed to manipulate their content will be archived in Meta’s Ad Library, a platform that allows consumers to search through ads currently circulating on the platform.
“If we determine that an advertiser doesn’t disclose as required, we will reject the ad and repeated failure to disclose may result in penalties against the advertiser,” Clegg said in a blog post.
“We will share additional details about the specific process advertisers will go through during the ad creation process.”
While advertisers can use their own AI tools to manipulate content in ads, Meta has also announced that it will not allow advertisers to run ads related to housing, employment, credit, social issues, elections, politics, health, or pharmaceutical matters.
“We believe this approach will allow us to better understand potential risks and build the right safeguards for the use of generative AI in ads that relate to potentially sensitive topics in regulated industries,” the company said.
The 2024 elections will be the first presidential elections held in the age of generative AI.
The technology burst onto the scene in November 2022 when OpenAI debuted its ChatGPT chatbot. Since then, companies ranging from Microsoft (MSFT), which had invested billions in OpenAI, to Amazon (AMZN), Google (GOOG, GOOGL) and Meta have been developing their own generative AI-powered platforms.
Daniel Howley is the tech editor at Yahoo Finance. He’s been covering the tech industry since 2011. You can follow him on Twitter @DanielHowley.
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