Best practice unveiled for responsible use of AI in advertising

The Advertising Association (AA) is rolling out best practice guidance for the responsible use of AI in generative advertising to help brands navigate this emerging tech.

Released today (5 February), the guide has been developed by the Online Advertising Taskforce, a group uniting government and industry. It is a voluntary guide, designed to give marketers, agencies, media owners and anyone else working in the advertising industry practical examples about how AI can be used effectively, but also responsibly.

Generative AI is undoubtedly rapidly changing how everyone in advertising works, from media placement to insight generation. In Marketing Week’s 2025 Language of Effectiveness survey, well over half (57.5%) of respondents said they were already using AI to generate content and creative campaign ideas. With the evolution of AI’s capabilities developing at break-neck pace, that figure only seems set to rise.

The best practice guide is designed to ensure that as artificial intelligence continues to play more of a role in all our lives “advertising remains trusted and makes the most of the opportunities AI can offer, helping the sector innovate responsibly”, says government minister for the creative industries Ian Murray.

Over half of marketers ‘using AI’ for campaign creative

The working group that developed the guidelines also included industry leaders and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The work builds on ISBA/IPA principles for the use of generative AI in advertising published in 2023. The idea is to complement existing UK laws, including GDPR, fitting in with the current advertising codes.

The guidelines outline eight main principles for the responsible use of AI in advertising: transparency, responsible use of data, preventing bias, driving oversight, promoting societal wellbeing, ensuring brand safety, promoting environmental stewardship and ensuring continued monitoring.

The full guide is now available to download on the AA’s website, as is a version designed for SMEs.

“This new guide is designed to support responsible adoption of AI in advertising to ensure that the work of our industry can continue to be trusted by the public,” says AA CEO Stephen Woodford.

“In the words of the ASA, all advertising must be ‘legal, decent, honest and truthful’ and it must remain so as our industry embraces AI and the many benefits it can bring.”

Trust is the focal point of the AA’s LEAD Conference (5 February) for the advertising industry, reflecting the belief that public trust in advertising is dependent on the responsible use of AI.