Watchdogs to step up financial ad crackdown with AI

In their annual report, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) pledged to step up their crackdown on financial ads and savings claims aimed at vulnerable consumers, using AI-driven tools to support their efforts.

The report revealed that in 2024, the ASA and CAP prompted the amendment or withdrawal of 33,903 adverts. Nearly all (94%) were identified through proactive work using the recently updated Active Ad Monitoring system, which now includes an AI-based toolkit for monitoring online advertising.

As a result of these AI-driven improvements, the system processed 28 million adverts in the last year, which enabled the ASA and CAP to have much greater visibility of adverts appearing online.

These AI-based tools are now central to many of the watchdogs’ high-priority projects, including financial advertising. Last year, the ASA and CAP issued rulings against several credit union ads that irresponsibly encouraged consumers to take out loans for extravagant Christmas spending. They also took action against ads promoting borrowing for Black Friday deals, warning that such messaging encouraged consumers to spend beyond their means.

Guy Parker, chief executive of ASA, said: “While we will continue to focus on tackling irresponsible ads and act without fear or favour, we love creative, engaging, entertaining advertising. It supports the growth and success of the advertising sector and the broader economy. But ads must earn the right to the public’s trust; the ASA system plays an integral part in building that trust, enabling responsible ads to flourish.”