Ogilvy launches AI Accountability Act as part of inclusive influence commitment

Ogilvy has launched a new initiative that requires advertising, PR agencies and social media platforms to mandate disclosure around the use of AI generated influencers as part of the agency's "inclusive influence" commitment.

Also known as AI Accountability Act, the initiative will require brands to clearly disclose and publicly declare the use of any AI-generated influencer content. This global call to action aims to address the rising use of artificial or virtual influencers by brands and is intended to maintain influencer authenticity and consumer transparency when used across social media. 
 
Ogilvy’s commitment will be driven through the initiatives including full disclosure on all AI-powered influencer campaigns, ensuring transparency with hashtag declaration #poweredbyAI, as well as implementation of a new watermark on AI-generated content providing clear visual identification and maintaining accountability in disclosing when used as part of influencer campaigns.

Ultimately, Ogilvy aims to drive policy change and enable social media platforms to empower marketers to disclose their collaborations with AI-generated content; similar to the "paid partnership" tag currently being used across the industry today. The call to action extends to brands and agencies alike, encouraging the industry to commit to full transparency when using AI influencers.

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By striking the right balance between innovation and accountability, the agency aims to create a future where AI influence not only coexists with authentic human experiences but empowers them. According to Ogilvy, the launch of the AI Accountability Act is also timely as ithas created the AI-generated influencer centre of excellence in Vietnam, delivering end-to-end consultancy, virtual influencer creation, and AI-powered storytelling for brands globally.

“The ability of AI to create and learn at speed has already transformed the way we produce personalised content online. But AI must be centred around empathy and transparency. That’s where you create honest interactions with consumers and can drive real impact at the intersection of new digital capabilities,” said Julianna Richter, global CEO of Ogilvy PR.

“The AI market is valued at US$4.6 billion and projected to grow by 26% by 2025, in large part because of the growing increase using AI in influence. As leaders in this industry, we have the responsibility to be ethical and transparent as we populate this new frontier. The technological advances using AI are exciting for the influencer marketing landscape but runs the risk of compromising authenticity if we don’t declare the difference between what’s real and what’s not,” said Rahul Titus, Ogilvy’s global head of influence.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Ogilvy for more information.

Most recently, Ogilvy redefined industry practices with a commitment to tackle the misuse of beauty and body editing across influencer content. As part of its inclusive Influence initiative, the agency last year stopped working with influencers who distort or retouch their bodies or faces across sponsored or paid-for content in influencer activations.

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