The UN is urging governments and industry to work together to create safeguards as AI accelerates a misinformation crisis.
The United Nations (UN) has warned the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in advertising, if left unchecked, could accelerate the risk of a misinformation crisis.
In a brief titled Strengthening Information Integrity: Advertising, Artificial Intelligence and the Global Information Crisis, the UN’s Department of Global Communications and the Conscious Advertising Network highlighted the untapped power of major brands in shaping the future of AI.
Global ad revenue was estimated to reach $1.14trn in 2025, according to WPP Media’s This Year Next Year forecast, with big tech companies accounting for a substantial proportion of that. Advertising accounted for 75% of Google $350bn of revenue in 2024; and 98.6% of Meta’s $162.6bn revenue in 2025.
The brief noted advertising sits at the centre of how information flows online, with spending decisions shaping what content is produced, amplified, and monetised.
As a result, this gives “advertisers significant, though often unrecognised, influence over the health and integrity of information environments”.
Therefore, as AI tools become embedded in the media buying and content generation processes, those dynamics are intensifying.
Charlotte Scaddan, UN senior adviser on information integrity, said: “Advertising funds the systems that help shape what people see, trust and believe.
“Without swift action and guardrails, AI risks accelerating the breakdown of information ecosystem integrity. Advertisers have the power to help fix it.”
AI is multiplying the risk
The brief also warns that the risks from AI are growing. AI is accelerating the spread of misinformation, hate speech, and even polarising content.
Meanwhile, advertising revenue continues to fund online content, regardless of quality or accuracy. And the lack of transparency around how AI-driven ad systems work is raising concerns about fraud and inefficiency.
Adweek reported 16-17% of programmatic ad transactions are flagged as fraudulent, with invalid traffic accounting for approximately 8.5% of global ad impressions.
In addition, the UN’s brief stressed the rise of AI-generated content flooding digital platforms and the open web is threatening the viability of quality, independent journalism.
AI systems are optimised for engagement and have “demonstrably favoured controversial or sensationalists” content, which drives higher ad viewing figures, the brief said. While brand-safety AI systems operate in direct tension with a platforms’ “core revenue-optimising algorithms”.
As a result, advertising revenue is helping amplify high-risk content, while high-quality media, independent journalism and community content – which evidence shows could deliver more durable returns – remains underfunded.
At the same time, consumer confidence in AI-generated ads is low, meaning brands and publishers could lose audience trust in platforms where such ads appear, leading to a drop in engagement and thus ROI.
Harriet Kingaby, co-chair of the Conscious Advertising Network – a global coalition advancing responsible advertising, said: “Brands are under pressure to move fast on AI, but doing so without guardrails risks undermining the very environments their marketing depends on.
“This is not about slowing innovation – it’s about making sure it works for business and society.”
UN calls for governance frameworks for AI
The UN is urging policymakers to ensure governance frameworks for AI and advertising align with international standards on information integrity.
The brief calls on governments to work with the advertising industry to improve transparency across AI supply chains, prioritise quality media environments and use financial leverage to push platforms to create stronger guardrails for users and consumers.
The UN cites Equativ’s 2025 Media Agency transparency report, which suggests improving transparency in media buying could lead to double-digit growth in advertising performance.
