As AI embeds itself into advertising and commerce, a new UN brief warns that without safeguards, that same technology is accelerating misinformation, eroding trust, and destabilizing the already fragile economics of the global information ecosystem, particularly as AI in programmatic advertising scales at speed.
A joint brief by the Department of Global Communications and the Conscious Advertising Network argues that advertising is no longer a passive industry, but a force shaping what people see, trust, and believe online. Generative AI in advertising is taking over media buying and content creation.
The tools also aid in AI in programmatic advertising, which creates an influence. That influence is intensifying, bringing both opportunity and systemic risk tied to AI in advertising and marketing.
When Ads Shape Truth
The report highlights a surge in AI-driven disinformation, hate speech, and polarizing content often monetized regardless of accuracy, a growing concern linked to AI in programmatic advertising.
“Advertising funds the systems that help shape what people see, trust and believe,” said Charlotte Scaddan. “Without swift action and guardrails, AI risks accelerating the breakdown of information ecosystem integrity. Advertisers have the power to help fix it.”
It also applies to AI in advertising systems where opaque algorithms are fueling fraud concerns and weakening confidence in digital platforms.
The rise of generative AI in advertising is also squeezing independent journalism, as low-cost AI content floods the market. The result is a feedback loop: declining trust reduces engagement, which in turn undermines advertising returns across AI in advertising agencies adopting automation at scale.
“Brands are under pressure to move fast on AI but doing so without guardrails risks undermining the very environments their marketing depends on,” said Harriet Kingaby.
Commerce Meets Conversation
The risks extend beyond advertising into emerging AI-driven commerce. Platforms like ChatGPT developed by OpenAI are beginning to integrate shopping and ads directly into conversations, raising fresh concerns about neutrality and consumer protection as AI in programmatic advertising converges with conversational systems.
With over 120 million European users affected, questions are mounting on whether AI remains unbiased when it recommends products it may also benefit from.
Hidden “native advertising,” recommendation bias, and AI dynamic pricing could quietly shape consumer choices without transparency, highlighting risks within AI in advertising ecosystems.
Concrete examples are already emerging across Big Tech, with Google using AI-powered Smart Bidding and campaign automation in its Google Ads for live conversions optimization, a core case of AI in advertising examples.
Second, Meta applies its Advantage+ system to automatically generate and optimize ads across Facebook and Instagram, another leading AI in advertising examples.
Third, Amazon uses AI in its advertising ecosystem to personalize sponsored product recommendations and optimize retail media targeting, completing the set of AI in advertising examples shaping global ad flows.
More troubling is the potential for AI systems to exploit psychological vulnerabilities, suggesting products at moments of perceived weakness or to “hallucinate” false promotions and misleading product details. In such cases, liability becomes murky: does responsibility fall on the AI provider or the seller?
Regulators are already stepping in. The European Commission is assessing whether ChatGPT qualifies as a major platform under the Digital Services Act, which would require transparency in how results are generated. Meanwhile, the Artificial Intelligence Act bans systems that exploit user vulnerabilities and mandates clearer disclosures for AI interactions.
While no single framework governs “agent-based commerce,” existing laws from consumer protection to data privacy still apply. The message from regulators and the UN is clear. Trust, once broken, is difficult to rebuild, especially when it comes to the future of AI in advertising.
The industry is facing a choice of either prioritizing short-term gains or building transparent systems that sustain credibility and long-lasting value in a digital economy, increasingly driven by AI in programmatic advertising.
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