Experts Speak: Ethical conundrums of AI and its use in advertising

Imagine chatting with both a machine and a human without knowing who's who. If the machine can fool you into thinking it's human, voilà! It has passed the test. This is the famous Turing test, proposed by Alan Turing in 1950. It aims to measure a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior indistinguishable from that of a human. During the test, if the evaluator cannot reliably distinguish the machine from the human based on their responses, the machine is said to have passed the Turing Test and demonstrated artificial intelligence. Turing’s idea of a machine possessing human-like intelligence sparked a lot of discussions.

Cut to the present, artificial intelligence has emerged as a disruptive force in the advertising landscape in the mere span of a year. The ad space has seen quite a few brands jump on this bandwagon and incorporate AI in their advertising and marketing campaigns in the last year. The rapid boom in AI-led campaigns has given birth to many AI-first agencies that specialize in AI-driven solutions, campaigns, and creatives.   

Coca-Cola has been at the forefront of harnessing AI and the potential it offers. Such is the significance of AI that the company has designated a senior leadership position to spearhead generative AI globally. 

As major corporations invest heavily in AI marketing startups to revolutionize their operations, marketers themselves are becoming increasingly inventive in utilizing AI advancements, specifically in creative content generation. The widespread integration of this technology is evident, with global AI marketing revenues projected to soar from USD 27.4 billion in 2023 to USD 107.4 billion by 2028. As the adoption of AI accelerates, coupled with milestones like OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot software released in November 2022, excitement and apprehension abound regarding the future implications.  

While AI and AI-generated content promises a lot of potential, there are a number of ethical concerns that arise when one looks at the core of this seemingly magical technological marvel. 

User privacy and data protection

When AI initially made its way to workplaces, it came in the form of chatbots–the most prominent and popular being ChatGPT. These seemingly harmless assistants were looked at as a potential help that would assuage the burdens of employees and quicken workflow. While these have eased workflow, certain ethical dilemmas have surfaced with time. One such pertinent ethical concern is the protection of information about the user using a particular AI-based tool.

User privacy and data protection stand at the forefront of ethical discussions surrounding AI in advertising. The proliferation of AI technologies has enabled advertisers to gather vast amounts of data on consumers, including their browsing history, purchase behavior, and even personal preferences. While this data can be invaluable for creating targeted advertising campaigns, it also raises significant concerns about privacy infringement and potential misuse.

“Prioritising user privacy and complying with data protection regulations are foundational ethical considerations. As advertisers, we must ensure responsible data handling practices and transparent communication about how user data is utilized,” says Harshil Karia, Founder, Schbang. 

Raising an identical concern, George Kovoor, Chief Creative Officer, Wavemaker India, says, “Like all good things, AI too comes with a few consequences. Invasion of privacy and copyright infringement are two that worry me the most.  In addition, there are major questions about data and brand safety.” 

Opening the moral envelope

In 2009, at the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems in Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale of Lausanne, Switzerland, robots were programmed to collaborate in finding a useful resource while steering clear of a harmful one. Over time, these robots began to deceive each other, aiming to stockpile the beneficial resource for themselves. While this was a singular experiment, it raises a vital question of the potential perils of machine learning. It also brings to light the seeming drawbacks of a machine gaining ‘sentience’ and the uncertainty as well as the unpredictability of such artificial intelligence. 

Besides the uncertainty of what rapid-paced advancements in artificial intelligence might lead to, there is a growing skepticism around AI assisting in and eventually replacing human jobs. What if human jobs become obsolete? What if AI becomes advanced enough to replace the entire workforce? What would happen to artists and creative people in such a case? Questions such as these have been popping up more than ever since the advent of chatbots that perform ordinary and time-consuming tasks in mere seconds. While the concern is legitimate, current AI-based tools are still dependent–to a large extent–on human inputs to generate meaningful results. 

Irrespective of the shortcomings of current AI-led tools, one ethical question looms large: Should the unchecked rapid advancement in AI-based technology, particularly in advertising, be permitted, considering the potential impact it could have on the jobs of creative professionals?

In the current climate, humans and AI seem to be collaborating on campaigns to generate requisite and novel results. This collaborative effort, for the time being, is proving to be fruitful as the best of both worlds is getting fused to create innovative outputs. 

Rishi Sen, Sr. Vice President - Digital, Shreyansh Innovations, provides a slightly optimistic view on the ethical concerns. He says, “As long as AI-powered solutions aren't offering Personally Identifiable Information (PII), I don't necessarily see an issue.”

Amit Sharma, Director, Producer, & Co-Founder of Chrome Pictures, shares his concern regarding AI’s potential impact on the industry in the future. He says, “AI is going to disrupt things quite a bit. Artists, musicians, and writers are going to be affected by this. Although it does help in a lot of ways, the question we should be asking is how much help we need. Because people will lose their jobs. A lot of talented individuals would be deprived of getting a chance to showcase their talent.”

It remains to be seen what will transpire as the ad space gets cluttered with AI-led campaigns.  

The bias trap

In 2018, Amazon terminated the utilization of AI in their hiring and recruitment process due to the algorithm displaying a bias toward male candidates over female ones. The root cause was traced back to the system being trained on data predominantly sourced from male candidates over a span of ten years.

Biases represent a significant ethical challenge in AI-driven advertising, stemming from the inherent biases present in both the data used to train algorithms and the algorithms themselves. Biased data can lead to discriminatory outcomes, perpetuating stereotypes and reinforcing existing inequalities.

Apart from the broader issues such as gender and race, AI models can perpetuate various stereotypes related to age, nationality, religion, or profession. This could result in outcomes that unjustly oversimplify or caricature certain groups, occasionally in ways that are damaging or derogatory. 

It could pose significant problems if advertisers looking to create campaigns with the assistance of AI are unaware of or do not take into account AI’s biases. 

Talking about the measures to tackle AI’s biases, Harshil Karia says, “The industry needs to actively tackle biases embedded in AI algorithms to avoid discriminatory outcomes. Investing in diverse and representative datasets and implementing fairness measures are pivotal in creating ethical advertising algorithms.” 

How does the future look?

While there are two sides to the proverbial AI coin, the next few years–considering the current nature of things and the few collaborative examples–seems to be quite bright and promising. Advertisers and marketers need to keep in mind that AI is built on the datasets fed to it and the training it goes through–which comes with its inherent biases. It is imperative that industry professionals keep educating themselves on the way AI functions and have foresight on the ethical implications it might bring into play. 

“AI-powered solutions recognise the need to implement guard rails around their tech and are doing so to the best of their ability. Again, we need to be mindful of the input we give. If the input process is heavily regulated, the output shouldn't be a concern. Lastly, the user at the receiving end of the AI solution should make conscious decisions as to what is ethical and safe and what isn't. Again, the buck stops at us,” shares Rishi Sen. 

Venugopal Ganganna, CEO, Langoor Digital opines that to tackle ethical implications, agencies, AI parent companies and AI platforms can work together to ensure that AI is used responsibly, respecting human creativity and avoiding plagiarism. He adds, “The true magic lies in the synergy between human guidance and AI's processing power.”

George Kovoor advises, “The AI industry will have to work hard to find the answers. Now that the use of AI has become more and more prevalent, as an industry, we must start educating both clients and consumers in the responsible use of AI, otherwise the consequences will be both dangerous and disastrous.”

Similarly, Amit Sharma advocates for considerations around the extent of AI’s use in projects. “There is a need to have proper rules and regulations laid out when it comes to the use of AI. There should be some kind of regulation on the extent of AI that can be used in a particular project,” he says.

Harshil Karia expounds on other pressing concerns and shares solutions for the future, “The emergence of AI-generated content, especially in music and videos, presents challenges related to copyright protection. Safeguarding artists' privacy and intellectual property rights becomes a central ethical concern. Addressing these challenges requires a concerted effort from industry stakeholders. Establishing and adhering to clear ethical guidelines, investing in responsible AI practices, and fostering transparency are essential components of building a trustworthy and ethical AI-driven advertising ecosystem. This comprehensive approach ensures a balanced integration of AI while upholding ethical standards and industry integrity.”

All things considered, the ethical implications of AI-driven advertising are complex and multifaceted, requiring careful attention and proactive measures to address. By prioritizing user privacy, transparency, and fairness, advertisers can harness the power of AI in a manner that respects the rights and dignity of consumers. As we continue to navigate the ethical landscape of AI in advertising, it is essential, more than ever, to uphold ethical standards that prioritize the well-being and autonomy of individuals in an increasingly digital world.