A new brief titled Strengthening Information Integrity: Advertising, AI and the Global Information Crisis, produced by the UN Department of Global Communications with the Conscious Advertising Network, argues that AI adoption in advertising is accelerating risks across online information environments.
The brief says the advertising industry sits at the centre of how information flows online because advertising budgets shape what content is produced, amplified and monetised. As AI becomes embedded in media buying and content generation, the brief warns that those market dynamics are intensifying.
UN Senior Adviser on Information Integrity Charlotte Scaddan said advertising “funds the systems that help shape what people see, trust and believe”, warning that unchecked AI deployment could speed up the breakdown of trust online. Scaddan said brands have the financial leverage to influence safer, more accountable practices.
The brief highlights several compounding risks. AI tools can accelerate the spread of disinformation, hate speech and polarising content, while advertising revenue can continue to flow to material regardless of accuracy or quality. The brief also flags growing concerns about limited transparency in AI-driven advertising systems, including risks of fraud, inefficiency and weak accountability.
Independent journalism is identified as another pressure point. AI-generated content, combined with declining trust in digital spaces, can undermine the viability of credible news, while reducing the effectiveness of advertising placements as audience confidence drops.
Conscious Advertising Network representative Harriet Kingaby warned that fast AI deployment without safeguards can damage the same digital environments that marketing depends on. Kingaby said the challenge is not slowing innovation, but ensuring innovation works for business outcomes and for society.
The briefing calls on policymakers to align AI and advertising governance with international information integrity standards, while urging advertisers to demand visibility across AI supply chains, prioritise quality media environments, and use spending power to push platforms to strengthen user safeguards. Evidence cited in the brief suggests improved transparency in media buying can deliver double-digit gains in advertising performance, reinforcing the claim that responsible practices can support both trust and returns.
–UN/ChannelAfrica–
