WPP-owned agency Ogilvy has launched an AI liability law. This is an effort to call for policy change by requiring PR agencies, the advertising industry and social media platforms to disclose their use of AI-generated influencers.
This will involve brands using the hashtag #poweredbyAI, similar to the “paid partnership” tag currently in use, or by implementing a new watermark for all AI-powered influencers, which will allow AI-generated You must clearly disclose and publicly declare your use of Influencer Content. campaign.
Starting Monday (June 19), Ogilvy will mandate this initiative across its global business. Until official policies on AI are in place, Ogilvy offices will be required to fully disclose their use of AI-generated influencer content.
Rahul Titus, Head of Global Influence at Ogilvy, said in an interview with PRWeek UK: “AI is now becoming part of marketing, communications and PR, and we need to understand how to leverage it to enable our operations. We do it for our customers. To take advantage, you need to provide the right framework, and we’re not fighting that.
“We want to lead by example… what I want is for others in PR and telecoms [to] They will take the same oath and start disclosing their AI-generated inputs,” he said.
“Given that the entire PR and influencer industry is based on a foundation of transparency and trust, this feels right,” added Titus.
He argued that influencer marketing works only if people trust people more than they trust brands.
“If you lose it, influencer marketing is useless. AI has the power to shake the very foundations of how influencer marketing works: trust and credibility. , could drive the entire industry crazy.
“And if the people we use in our campaigns are no longer real, where is that trust? Trust comes from us being honest and taking responsibility for our work. ‘ added Titus.
The initiative’s title, the AI Accountability Act, and part of the press release announcing today’s launch were also created using AI technology, according to the head of global influence.
The AI market is valued at $4.6 billion and is projected to grow 26% by 2025, largely due to the increasing use of AI in influence, Titus said.
As part of its comprehensive influence efforts, Ogilvy last year stopped working with influencers who distort and retouch their bodies and faces across sponsored and paid content in influencer activations. Titus hopes Ogilvy’s stance on AI-generated influencer content will spark similar debates.
“My hope is that this will spark conversations in the PR and telecom industry,” he said. “We start talking about ethics and accountability to the audience when it comes to AI.”
Ogilvy founded the AI-Generated Influencer Center of Excellence in Vietnam to provide end-to-end consulting, virtual influencer creation, and AI-powered storytelling to brands around the world. Enforcement of accountability laws is also timely.
Titus said authorities “have done a lot of work in this area.” He said he welcomes dialogue with any agency or brand about the effort, but said he needs to show accountability.
“As communicators and marketers, we owe it to our industry, consumers, brands and audiences to do better. It gives me an opportunity.”
Titus added: “We are just at the beginning of that journey. So we have the power to make a positive impact on this. Join us; , join the conversation and make a positive impact on the conversation.”
Last year, India’s Advertising Standards Council became the first national oversight body to mandate clear disclosure rules for AI-generated influencer content.
Ogilvy is ranked 14th in PRWeek UK’s latest Top 150 Consultancy Firms report. Its parent group, his WPP and other institutions, have made clear the growing importance of his AI technology in the field, and WPP considers his AI technology a “foundation” for its business. It is explained that there is
