Meta could be testing AI-generated ads with our content
If you’ve seen your favorite business post AI-generated ads, they may not have done it on purpose.
I’m not vegan, but I do happen to be a superfan of a vegan donut shop here in Portland.
They’re exactly who you’d expect them to be. They’re fun with a little edge. They get wild with ingredients and even savory donut flavors. Their glamour shots for their monthly specials often include the owner’s festive manicure.
So, imagine my surprise when I was served an ad for their Irish Cream Clovers that, well, didn’t exactly look like “them.” And, I noticed an “AI Info” tag that I wasn’t used to seeing.
That off-brand Cream Clovers ad made more sense when I saw a size-inclusive apparel brand report that a “mandatory AI testing tax” was imposed on their Meta ad spends. They shared that they were forced into devoting 5% of their ad budget to testing Meta’s AI-generated ads.
Yikes.
Meta is moving towards AI-generated ad campaigns
The AI-generated ad testing on Meta’s part is almost certainly feeding Meta Advantage+, their AI-powered ad optimization tool. Word is, they’re moving towards fully-automated advertising, where AI is used for every part of the process, from content creation to audience targeting to budgeting.
Part of their ramp-up towards full automation, apparently, includes using existing users’ ad spends to test what their AI tool produces.
After digging into things more deeply, it doesn't seem that Meta technically requires businesses to dedicate 5% of their ad budget to AI-generated ads. However, some users were opted-in automatically, and without their knowledge. (sounds lot like last year’s Instagram Maps rollout to me)
How do I opt-out of Meta’s AI-generated ads?
Unsurprisingly, the button to turn off Meta’s AI-generated ad spend is pretty well hidden. A lot of business owners have understandably had trouble opting out from Meta’s AI testing.
Luckily, we got a screenshot of their “creative enhancements” button, so you know what to look for and can more easily opt out if you need to set up a new social media ad campaign.
Deactivate that toggle, and you should be safe.
The other way to dodge this is, well, to avoid using Meta ads altogether–or even leave Facebook and Instagram entirely. Unfortunately, many online ad platforms are predatory in one way or another, so that’s a pretty tough needle to thread.
Fortunately, you don’t have to do it alone. You can work with me to plan and execute your departure from extractive social media platforms, so you won’t have to worry about Meta’s sneaky tactics ever again.
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