A Guardian investigation found that more major brands are increasingly using AI-generated content to promote products, often without clearly telling consumers that the “people” in the videos are not real. Some creators who build these AI influencers are reportedly required to sign nondisclosure agreements, and the report says there are still no clear global rules forcing brands to disclose such use. The result, consumer advocates say, is a growing trust problem online.
One example is the photo app Once, which helps users create disposable-camera-style images for events. Reality Defender, a cybersecurity company that detects deepfakes, said the brand appeared to use AI-generated influencers in its marketing. In one Instagram video, an AI-looking bride says she used Once at her wedding, saying, “Everyone expected a phone-free wedding,” and, “So I gave them cameras instead.” Another AI-looking woman promotes Maket, an AI design and housing-planning app, while saying, “I could kiss the interior designer who showed me this.” Maket said AI influencers are only one of several small-scale creative tests it is running, and not a core part of its marketing strategy.
The report also said Dubai-based fashion brand Ashle posted an image of a woman wearing its clothes that appeared to be AI-generated, including a visible extra finger. After the Guardian contacted the company, the posts were deleted. Ashle later said its products are real, handmade to order, and that some early marketing images used AI only during launch.
Consumer group Which? said a recent deepfake test found 70% of people worried they could not correctly identify real and fake videos. “It is worrying that consumers cannot trust the content they see online,” said editor Lisa Barber, adding that companies must be transparent when AI is used, especially for influencer content. The U.S. Advertising Standards Authority told the Guardian its rules do not explicitly ban undisclosed AI-generated promotional content. Former celebrity manager Clarissa Mansbridge said she believes about 60% of current content from some major brands is actually made with AI, and that many creators are muzzled by NDAs. Israeli-British artist Zak Rossiter said a marketing agency pitched him an AI-generated unboxing video for one of his products, but he refused, saying, “I would never work with an agency that used fake AI unboxing videos over real people.”
