Here’s how brand Content Creators can navigate it
Consumers like to believe that brands are honest; that what they are seeing is authentic; that the product is what it claims to be.
In the UK, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) exists to ensure advertising is not misleading. The framework is there and the rules are clear.
However, for many, advertising has always lived in ‘the grey’.
Adverts are not independently approved before they go live, so the rules are open to interpretation. If a brand is inclined to push the boundaries, there is room to do so.
This brings us to AI.
In the age of artificial intelligence, do we need to question what we see even more carefully? Does viewing ads (or anything) now require an ever more forensic eye?
Even with professional experience, it can be difficult to detect AI-generated content. The technology is moving quickly, it’s relatively cheap easy and no content creator will resist the temptation to use AI to tweak the truth to their advantage.
What does that mean for professional marketeers?
How far can creative boundaries be pushed whilst still protecting your brand? What responsibility sits with you?
We took a closer look at the latest guidance* from the Advertising Standards Authority to understand how AI is currently addressed by them and where the red lines remain.
What you need to know
The Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) and the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising (BCAP) do not currently contain AI-specific rules. As with a lot of regulatory organisations, things are slow to catch up with the fast-moving real world, so currently there is no blanket legal requirement to disclose the use of AI in advertising.
There is also no AI approval system.
In fact, the rules of advertising apply in the same way they always have. Whether content is created by a camera crew, via ‘CGI’ editing software, or by using a learning model is, in principle, irrelevant.
However overriding principle remains the same: Does the advert mislead the average consumer?
Thus, AI only becomes an issue when it is used to create a deception, to generate content engineered to look authentic when it is actually not.
Material such as Deepfakes, Fabricated testimonials, Synthetic “real people” are some of the more obvious examples.
In those cases, the problem is not the technology. It is the impression created.
So how should you, as a content creator, act?
The regulations have not shifted dramatically. The responsibility has not disappeared, and if anything, it has sharpened.
Brands have a duty to ensure advertising is not misleading and this principle still sits at the core of everything.
We know that AI offers extraordinary creative possibilities. It can streamline production and unlock ideas that once felt unreachable, but it does not replace judgement. It certainly must never not override integrity.
In many ways, this new world and the conversation about using AI simply swings the advertising pendulum back to where it has always belonged: to authenticity.
In an industry built on influence and illusion, trust remains the only genuine asset a brand can build. After all, brand loyalty is not won through technical brilliance, but through truth and experience. Creativity creates the engagement but content with integrity builds the consumer relationship.
For us, that is not a trend – it is a constant.
Where does this leave us?
As AI-generated content becomes increasingly difficult to detect, the nuance of genuine human interaction is not only noticeable, it’s more felt. Audiences seeking credible, trustworthy brands are highly attuned to authenticity. It’s partly why blurry scratchy social media reels from mobile phones are increasingly trusted over more glossy offerings. We as an audience engage with the genuine, wobbles and all.
That’s why we believe brands must think carefully about how they market through digital content. In a landscape rich with automation, authenticity and integrity are no longer optional. These days, they’re completely essential.
As a destination for creative, beautifully crafted digital content, we produce first-class video for our clients. Yes we do use AI, but simply as one of many brilliant tools to help shape concepts, enhance content or speed up the end-to-end process, with stunning results.
From cinematic long-form storytelling to dynamic short-form reels, we bring ideas to life in ways that inspire, inform, and captivate. Whether it’s a brand film that articulates your identity, a behind-the-scenes moment that reveals your team’s personality, or a simple yet effective smartphone production for social channels, we craft compelling digital content that resonates – because it’s real.
*This guidance was correct at time of writing – 06/03/26.