Online ads are becoming harder to spot – but we’re not powerless to stop it

Google’s Google Marketing Live event showcased expanded AI systems for personalised digital ads, integrating ads into chats and dynamically adjusting based on individual browsing behaviour and availability.
Meta and ByteDance’s TikTok have advanced their own AI-driven ad systems, personalising content deeply integrated within user activities on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Social media ads are increasingly blending into the organic content to remain less intrusive, raising questions around discernment and regulation.
The erosion of clear ad boundaries makes it harder to audit and ensure ads’ compliance with societal norms and regulations, especially for potentially harmful products like alcohol and gambling.
With AI creating personalised, often unseen ads that could appear and disappear rapidly, maintaining transparency becomes more challenging for regulators and researchers aiming to monitor digital environments.
The newly proposed digital duty of care framework in Australia calls for stronger regulations around disclosure and transparency to ensure that audiences understand which content is being promoted.
Minimum disclosures should include clear labelling, accessible ad archives, accurate information on how AI is involved in ad targeting, and detailed targeting disclosures.
Clear signals about what constitutes an advertisement are crucial for maintaining the accountability of information environments and ensuring user trust.

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