The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has prohibited a series of advertisements on Meta platforms for artificial intelligence applications that were determined to objectify and sexualize women. The watchdog identified five separate ads that violated UK advertising standards through depictions of sexualized or exploitative content. Among the prohibited advertisements was an ad for an AI companion generator that depicted a minor in a sexual manner, presented alongside childlike imagery and objects. Two other campaigns for an AI portrait generation tool called Nexaipic encouraged users to upload images of their romantic interests and generate sexually explicit videos. Additional banned ads included promotions for image-to-video generation applications that depicted women in states of undress or submissive positions, suggesting the tools could be used to create non-consensual sexual imagery.
The ASA determined that the advertisements promoted the creation of sexually explicit content using real women’s images without consent. Officials stated that such material posed the potential to inflict real-world harm and violated both advertising standards and recently implemented legislation. The watchdog noted that the regulatory environment had shifted during its investigations, with new laws banning non-consensual deepfake nude imagery enacted earlier in the year following public concern over such applications.
Meta had already removed the offending advertisements prior to the ASA’s enforcement action. However, the social media platform has faced ongoing scrutiny regarding similar content appearing on its networks. A recent investigation identified thousands of ads on Meta’s platforms marketing tools designed to convert clothed images into explicit videos, though the majority were automatically removed by the company.
The ASA employed its AI-powered Active Ad Monitoring System to identify the violations, demonstrating proactive enforcement capabilities. The watchdog indicated it would consider future advertisements under both existing law and its own regulatory framework, potentially referring illegal content to law enforcement authorities. ASA officials emphasized the organization’s commitment to addressing advertising that risks causing widespread offense or harm.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI