ASA AI tool kept tabs on 28m online ads in 12 months

The marketing industry’s record on successful AI adoption might be still up for debate but the advertising watchdog is certainly using the technology to the full, with its AI-powered Active Ad Monitoring system coming into its own over the past 12 months.

According to the Advertising Standards Authority and Committees of Advertising Practice 2024 Annual Report, the watchdog used the tool to assess the suitability of 28 million online ads last year.

That compares to the around half a million ads being processed by the automated system at the end of the second half of 2023.

And, of the 33,903 ads which were amended or withdrawn, 94% were identified using the Active Ad Monitoring system, with the ASA’s six-strong data science team headed by Adam Davison.

The system was also the source of 41 published formal rulings last year, almost 15% of the ASA’s total output.

In total during 2024, the ASA and CAP received 37,284 complaints about 24,015 ads and secured the amendment or withdrawal of 33,903, some 84% of which were non-paid ads online – most of which related to claims on company-owned websites and social media accounts.

Almost 60% of activity was preventative/proactive work, already exceeding the watchdog’s strategy target for 2028 when it aims to spend more of its regulatory resource on preventative and proactive activities than reactive complaints casework.

Meanwhile, CAP delivered 777,321 pieces of advice and training to businesses to help them stick to the advertising rules

Perhaps unsurprisingly, online continues to be the most complained about media – 20,423 complaints relating to 16,530 ads, while TV remains the second most complained about, accounting for 12,383 complaints relating to 4,008 ads.

ASA chief executive Guy Parker (pictured) said: “Our world-leading use of innovative tech, including our AI-based Active Ad Monitoring system, is a game changer in transforming our regulation to a preventative and proactive approach. It’s supported by our research that helps us explore the ad-related concerns people have, to help understand the most important issues for us to tackle.

“While we will continue to focus on tackling irresponsible ads and act without fear or favour, we love creative, engaging, entertaining advertising. It supports the growth and success of the advertising sector and the broader economy. But ads must earn the right to the public’s trust; the ASA system plays an integral part in building that trust, enabling responsible ads to flourish.”