Meta Platforms is advancing its use of artificial intelligence to fully automate the creation and targeting of advertisements, aiming to roll out these capabilities by the end of next year.
This development is a central part of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s vision for the company’s future, where AI-driven automation will reshape digital advertising on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
Currently, Meta’s ad platform offers AI-powered tools that help advertisers generate variations of existing ads and make minor edits before serving them to targeted users. The new initiative seeks to extend these capabilities by enabling brands to create complete ads from scratch using AI. Advertisers could upload an image of their product and specify a budget, after which AI would generate the entire advertisement—including visuals, video, and text—while optimizing targeting and budget allocation.
The system would also allow for real-time personalization of ads based on user data such as geolocation. For example, a user in a snowy region might see an ad for a car driving up a mountain, while someone in an urban area would see the same car in a city setting.
Advertising remains the cornerstone of Meta’s business, accounting for over 97% of its revenue in 2024 and funding substantial investments in AI infrastructure, including data centers and advanced AI chip development. The company plans to spend between $64 billion and $72 billion in capital expenditure in 2025, much of which supports its AI ambitions.
Mark Zuckerberg described the vision for AI-driven ads as “a redefinition of the category of advertising,” emphasizing how the technology could democratize advertising by enabling small and medium-sized businesses—many of which lack the resources to hire marketing agencies—to create professional campaigns easily.
While this move offers efficiency and accessibility, it has raised concerns among some larger brands and traditional marketing agencies. Critics worry that AI-generated ads may lack the nuanced creativity and distinctive style of human-produced content. Additionally, some brands are cautious about granting Meta greater control over their advertising efforts.
The rollout of these AI tools has already caused ripples in the marketing industry. Shares of major marketing services companies like WPP, Publicis Groupe, and Havas declined following the news, reflecting investor concerns about potential disruption.
Meta emphasizes that AI automation is not intended to replace marketing agencies entirely. Alex Schultz, Meta’s chief marketing officer, stated that agencies will continue to play a vital role by focusing on creative strategy, planning, execution, and measurement across multiple platforms. Instead, AI is expected to “level the playing field” by assisting smaller businesses that may lack the time or budget to engage agency services.
Alongside Meta, other tech companies such as Google are also advancing AI tools that generate photo and video content from text prompts, further highlighting the growing trend toward AI-powered advertising solutions.
The Wall Street Journal and the Guardian contributed to this report.
