IPA and ISBA launch industry principles for use of AI
The set of principles have been designed to help the industry embrace AI in an ethical way
Georgie Moreton
Deputy Editor, BITE CreativebriefTo help the industry embrace the opportunities of AI in a more ethical way, The IPA and ISBA have announced 12 guiding principles for agencies and advertisers to harness the power of generative AI in an ethical way.
The principals aim to protect both consumers and people working in the creative sector to ensure that AI is used in a way that promotes trust and transparency. The principles apply only to the creative process rather than other areas of the industry and cover issues relating to transparency, intellectual property rights and human oversight.
“The use of AI has grown exponentially in all industries, bringing with it huge opportunities as well as a wealth of new legal, regulatory and ethical challenges that need to be understood and addressed. The importance of AI is evidenced by the Government’s bringing together world leaders and tech giants at this month’s AI Safety Summit.” says Richard Lindsay, Director of Legal & Public Affairs, IPA.
Following industry-wide controversy around AI advertising executions that don’t disclose the usage of AI and a plethora of fear mongering headlines around AI taking the jobs of creatives, the principals aim to provide clarity about the uses of AI within creative.
The IPA and ISBA’s twelve principles for the use of generative AI in advertising
- AI should be used responsibly and ethically.
- AI should not be used in a manner that is likely to undermine public trust in advertising (for example, through the use of undisclosed deep fakes, or fake, scam or otherwise fraudulent advertising).
- Advertisers and agencies should ensure that their use of AI is transparent where it features prominently in an ad and is unlikely to be obvious to consumers.
- Advertisers and agencies should consider the potential environmental impact when using generative AI.
- AI should not be used in a manner likely to discriminate or show bias against individuals or particular groups in society.
- AI should not be used in a manner that is likely to undermine the rights of individuals (including with respect to use of their personal data).
- Advertisers and agencies should consider the potential impact of the use of AI on intellectual property rights holders and the sustainability of publishers and other content creators.
- Advertisers and agencies should consider the potential impact of AI on employment and talent. AI should be additive and an enabler – helping rather than replacing people.
- Advertisers and agencies should perform appropriate due diligence on the AI tools they work with and only use AI when confident it is safe and secure to do so.
- Advertisers and agencies should ensure appropriate human oversight and accountability in their use of AI (for example, fact and permission checking so that AI generated output is not used without adequate clearance and accuracy assurances).
- Advertisers and agencies should be transparent with each other about their use of AI. Neither should include AI-generated content in materials provided to the other without the other’s agreement.
- Advertisers and agencies should commit to continual monitoring and evaluation of their use of AI, including any potential negative impacts not limited to those described above.
Alongside the principles, The IPA and ISBA are also considering publishing additional best practice guidance around the use of AI in other areas.
Full details on the IPA and ISBA principles for the use of generative AI in creative advertising are available on their websites.