Advertising by more than 140 major global brands is supporting the proliferation of unreliable artificial intelligence-generated news and information websites (UAINs), according to an analysis released Monday by a misinformation watchdog group.
Most of the ads are placed by Google, according to the group. NewsGuard, explained.
The researchers behind the report — Jack Brewster, Zack Fishman, and Elisa Xu — did not identify any of the blue-chip advertisers by name because “none of the brands or their ad agencies had any idea that their advertisements would appear on these unreliable, AI-driven sites.”
The report did mention that there were several notable brands among them: a dozen or so major financial institutions, four luxury department shops, three major sports apparel brands and three major appliance manufacturers. There were also two of the largest consumer technology firms in the world, two major global ecommerce sites, two top U.S. Broadband providers, three streaming platforms offered by American broadcasting networks, a Silicon Valley Digital Platform, and a major European grocery chain.
“Although many advertisers and their advertising agencies maintain ‘exclusion lists’ of ‘brand unsafe’ websites where their advertising should not appear, these lists are often not kept up to date and clearly have not kept pace with the surge in UAIN sites,” NewsGuard reported.
Many UAIN sites are financed entirely by programmatic ads, it was added. It continued that some websites produce huge numbers of articles where ads can be placed. This feeds the creation low-quality AI-generated sites without any apparent editorial oversight. The report cited a site that generates an average of 1,200 articles per day.
Programmatic Inevitability
Joe Karasin (CMO, founder of) maintains that brands using programmatic advertising will inevitably end up on shady websites. Karasin PPCGoogle Ads is the specialty of a Lapeer-based marketing agency.
He told E-Commerce Times that “basically all programmatic advertising is sold in lots, just like cable services.” “If you wish to advertise on ESPN.com then you must also advertise on the other sites included in this batch.”
If a brand’s programmatic strategy is to get as many eyeballs for as little money as possible, then appearing on these unreliable artificial intelligence-generated news websites is unavoidable, agreed Liz Miller, vice president and a principal analyst at Constellation ResearchCupertino-based technology advisory and research company.
She told the E-Commerce Times that “however,” if you’re a brand leader, and have taken advertising-driven engagements serious and have applied programmatic ad-buying in a controlled, constantly monitored way, it is likely these unreliable sites will continue to be filtered out, as your excluded and cleared lists are continually updated and refined.
She continued, “But this takes a determination and commitment to continually train the list the same way that we understand now an AI model must be trained.” “And advertising — similar to cybersecurity — is a world in which fraudsters and bad actors are moving much faster than the industry and sometimes technology can keep pace with.”
The AI-driven Ad Game
Greg Sterling, the co-founder and CEO of Near MediaA website for news, analysis and commentary.
He told E-Commerce Times, “Advertisers could be more selective by refusing to work on programmatic platforms which deliver ads to low-quality websites or working with those who have the ability to blacklist sites.”
He added that private marketplaces could also provide higher-quality stock without these issues.
Karasin said that self-service options are available that let a brand choose what they want from the inventory. “Investing in someone who is able to navigate this would be worth it,” he said.
Miller, however, claims that AI forces advertisers to reevaluate the goals of their businesses.
Does it make sense for a company to return to direct or private purchases with trusted and vetted sources in order to maintain more control, and better focus the experience journeys through outlets that are compatible with its vision and mission? She asked. “Or is a broad ‘everyone come see us’ approach the best?”
“AI will wake up the ad sector to rearticulate its strategy and focus on the end goal of the spend, rather than the tools that are used to reach it,” she said.
False Legitimacy
NewsGuard reported in its report, that while the AI-generated sites it analyzed were low quality and did not spread false information, they still had a positive impact on public opinion.
It found, however, that on one occasion there were advertisements for two U.S. video streaming services, office supplies, Japanese automakers, global banks based in New York City, pet suppliers, vitamin shops, diet companies, and vacuum manufacturers on MedicalOutline.com. This UAIN website promotes unproven, potentially harmful, natural health remedies.
The site’s headlines included “Can Lemon cure Skin Allergy?The site’s headlines include “Can lemon cure skin allergy? “, “What 5 natural remedies are there for ADHD?” and “How can you prevent cancer naturally?” How can you naturally prevent cancer?
Advertisements from reputable companies on these sites can be harmful to consumers. Miller stated that “blue chip brands” appearing on such sites lend legitimacy to these sites. It can be detrimental to see a brand that people recognize on a site that is peddling falsehoods.
These sites’ mountains of low-quality content can be a problem for consumers. “It’s more difficult for people to understand disinformation,” said Vincent RaynauldAssociate Professor at Emerson College, Boston.
He told E-Commerce Times that when people evaluate information they take into account the source, the channel through which it is distributed, and the quality. “Adding AI when producing content makes the information more difficult to understand.”
He said that AI would be a boon for the misinformation business. “AI makes it much easier for organizations and individuals to spread misinformation or disinformation quickly.”
“What worries me is that this stuff will start moving up the chain of food,” added Dan KennedyProfessor of Journalism at Northeastern University, Boston
He told the E-Commerce Times that “legitimate news organizations” are already trying to use AI. “They won’t be as careless, but people will lose their jobs and mistakes will be made,” he told the E-Commerce Times.
