Get Ready for AI-Created Ads on Facebook

Don’t be surprised if you see more AI-generated ads on Facebook in the coming months. Meta is now testing the use of AI algorithms to help advertisers create text and images for online ads.

Meta this week gave an early look at its “AI sandbox” for advertisers, which promises to help businesses better customize and improve their ads on Facebook and Instagram.

“The AI Sandbox will act as our testing playground for early versions of new tools and features, including generative AI-powered ad tools,” the company wrote in a blog post(Opens in a new window). “Our goal is to learn what works for advertisers and make these features easy to use in our ads tools.”

For now, Meta is not using AI to generate the entire ad. Instead, the tools focus on three areas. The first, text variation, takes existing ad copy and pumps out slightly different versions of it with the goal of “giving advertisers choice to try different messages for certain audiences,” Meta says.

The input for each AI-generated ad feature.
(Credit: Meta)

The second—background generation—churns out customized backgrounds that can be placed behind a product image. Simply type in a description, like “Renaissance art, clouds, pastel, light, pretty,” and Meta’s program will generate a background that fits the various attributes and place it behind the product image.  

The third involves image “outcropping,” or when you need to fit the image into a different aspect ratio, like for the vertical view of a smartphone. The feature can use AI algorithms to edit the image, including filling out any white space, to ensure the ad fits the chosen aspect ratio.

The output for each AI-generated ad feature.
(Credit: Meta)

Ideally, this will help businesses save time on the ad-creation process by offloading the work to AI algorithms. “Currently, we’re working with a small group of advertisers in order to quickly gather feedback that we can use to make these products even better,” Meta says. “In July, we will begin gradually expanding access to more advertisers with plans to add some of these features into our products later this year.”

The big question is how far Meta will take the AI-generated ad technology. One startup is already using artificial intelligence to create “virtual models,” or deepfakes of human people, with the goal of featuring them in ads. In addition, others including Meta and Google have been building AI programs that can generate entire videos using a mere text prompt. 

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So it’s not hard to see how the same AI technologies could be used to produce elaborate advertisements, and help businesses save a fortune on the ad-creation process. But for now, Meta is taking a cautious approach on rolling out the technologies amid concerns that generative AI could make it easier to pump out misinformation and scam people.  

“With millions of businesses advertising on our platform, we are being deliberate in how we develop and roll out these tools, helping to ensure they are built responsibly(Opens in a new window) and provide value to our customers,” the company says.