Meta is enhancing transparency in its advertising practices by labeling ads created or significantly edited using generative AI tools. This initiative, which began last year, aims to inform users about the role of AI in the ads they encounter on Meta's platforms.
The company has collaborated with experts, policy stakeholders, and industry partners globally to develop this approach. Meta acknowledges that expectations for transparency regarding generative AI are evolving and is committed to providing clear information about how these tools contribute to advertising content.
Meta's labeling system is designed to indicate when images and videos have been created or significantly modified using its proprietary generative AI tools. Labels will appear either in the three-dot menu or next to the "Sponsored" label, depending on the extent of edits made by AI features.
"If an advertiser is using our in-house generative AI creative features and these tools do not result in significant edits to the image or video and do not include a photorealistic human, then we will not apply any AI labels," explained a representative from Meta. However, if significant edits are made or an AI-generated photorealistic human is included, an AI label will be applied accordingly.
The rollout of these labels began last year and will continue throughout this year. Meta emphasizes that this effort marks only the beginning of its journey toward greater transparency in ad generation using AI technologies.
"We remain committed to improving our ads transparency tools and searching for new ways to provide people with better understanding of how we use data and technology to show them ads," stated Meta. The company plans to expand its labeling approach by including content made with non-Meta generative AI tools later this year.
Meta aims to build trust through transparency around how AI impacts advertising content while remaining accountable for its use of machine learning models. Users can learn more about specific ads via the "Why am I seeing this ad?" tool, where they can also manage their ad preferences.
