New guidelines developed by the Online Advertising Taskforce aim to help brands, agencies and media owners use AI effectively and ethically.
New guidelines developed by the Online Advertising Taskforce aim to help brands, agencies and media owners use AI effectively and ethically.
The Advertising Association (AA) is expanding Best practice guidance on the responsible use of AI in generative advertising to help brands navigate this new technology.
The guide, released today (5 February), was developed by the Online Advertising Taskforce, a group that brings together government and industry. This is a voluntary guide intended to provide marketers, agencies, media owners, and anyone else working in the advertising industry with practical examples on how to use AI effectively and responsibly.
There is no doubt that generative AI is rapidly changing the way everyone in the advertising industry 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 ideas for content and creative campaigns. With AI capabilities evolving at a breakneck pace, this number is only likely to rise.
The best practice guide is designed to ensure that as artificial intelligence continues to play an increasing role in our lives, “advertising remains trusted, makes the most of the opportunities that AI can offer, and supports the sector to innovate responsibly,” said Ian Murray, the government’s minister for creative industries.
More than half of marketers use AI for campaign creative
The working group that developed the guidelines also included industry leaders and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). This initiative builds on the ISBA/IPA Principles on the Use of Generated AI in Advertising, published in 2023. The idea is to complement existing UK legislation, including GDPR, and bring it in line with current advertising regulations.
The guidelines outline eight key principles for the responsible use of AI in advertising. Transparency, responsible use of data, anti-bias, promoting oversight, promoting social welfare, ensuring brand safety, promoting environmental stewardship, and ensuring continuous monitoring.
The complete guide is now available for download from the AA website, as is a version designed for small and medium-sized businesses.
“This new guide aims to support the responsible implementation of AI in advertising and ensure that society continues to trust the work our industry does,” said AA CEO Stephen Woodford.
“In the words of the ASA, all advertising must be ‘legal, decent, honest and true’ and that must remain as our industry embraces AI and the many benefits it brings.”
Trust was a focus at the AA’s LEAD conference for the advertising industry (5 February), reflecting the belief that public trust in advertising depends on the responsible use of AI.
