(TNND) — A marketing expert is sounding the alarm over the lack of attention to the “dark side” of artificial intelligence-driven advertising.
Laurence Labrecque and colleagues published research showing that about 10% of articles mentioning AI in top marketing journals even mentioned the potential harms of using AI in advertising.
“Marketers have jumped at the opportunity in many ways,” Labrecque said Wednesday.
She is a professor at the University of Rhode Island and studies marketing technology.
She wrote a article for The Conversation about her studyin which she stated that AI had revolutionized the way companies market their products and allowed them to target consumers in a personalized and interactive way.
Advertisements, emails, and social media posts can all be created or improved with AI.
Labrecque said the articles in marketing journals they reviewed “boast that it’s cheaper, it’s more effective and you can do better targeting.” But how will people react? And how could this harm people in any way? »
Only 33 of 290 marketing journal articles assessed ethical considerations related to AI adoption.
Marketers are excited about the new AI tools at their disposal, but need to slow down and ask themselves if they are doing the right thing by consumers, Labrecque said.
Most people probably don’t think about how inundated they are with AI-driven marketing efforts.
Watching a show on Netflix? AI helps the algorithm suggest certain shows to you.
Do you shop on Amazon, Walmart or multiple sites? AI shows you product suggestions.
Using a chatbot to get help on a website? You are probably interacting with AI.
“It would be hard to find many companies that aren’t using AI in some way, whether it’s just to help them create more effective social media posts for… . Coca-Cola creates its brand new Christmas adjust generated by AI,” Labrecque said.
Lack of transparency, misinformation and manipulation are all concerns.
AI has the potential in marketing to perpetuate harmful stereotypes, infringe on the individual rights of artists or negatively impact mental health with AI-powered beauty filters, Labrecque said.
Some companies use AI to create models instead of hiring real models, she said.
“What are the potential consequences of this? » said Labrecque.
Consumers today need to have “healthy skepticism” about what they see from marketers, she said.
And she added that businesses must establish internal safeguards to protect themselves and their customers from negative consequences.
“It’s a bit like the Wild West” in terms of controlling new AI technology in marketing, Labrecque said.
