A series of social media adverts for AI apps have been banned by a UK watchdog for promoting 'the creation of sexually explicit content and objectification of women'. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said five ads uploaded to Meta platforms for AI companion and video generating apps had objectified and sexualised women, including through harmful gender stereotypes.

One of the ads used sexualised images of a girl under 18 to promote an AI companion app—while others invited users to upload images of their 'crush' and turn images into 'sizzling' videos. Meta had already removed the offending ads. But Nicky Baker of the ASA said such content had the potential 'to cause real-world harm'. 'We take a firm line on ads that are likely to cause serious or widespread offence and these ads are a clear example of why that matters,' she said.

The ASA also said many of the ads it banned had promoted the creation of sexually explicit content using real women's images without their consent. It comes only months after the UK outlawed apps to create non-consensual deepfake nude imagery—sparked by outrage over X's chatbot Grok complying with requests to nudify images of women on the platform. The ASA said the law had changed during its investigations and that ads identified in future would be considered in light of both the law and its own rules.

Where ads are identified as illegal, it said it may notify platforms and law enforcement. The ads were identified by the regulator using its AI-powered 'Active Ad Monitoring System', which proactively searches for ads which might violate UK rules. It said the five ads it were banned had depicted women irresponsibly, and were likely to cause serious or widespread offence. One ad for an AI companion generator, developed by Animcha Ltd, was also found to have portrayed someone under 18 in a sexual way, the ASA said.