With global advertising spending exceeding $1 trillion a year, the United Nations on 29 April 2026 urged major brands to use their influence to shape the future of Artificial Intelligence, warning that inaction could worsen a global information integrity crisis, according to UN News. The warning comes in a new brief released by the UN Department of Global Communications together with the Conscious Advertising Network. The document cautions that unchecked AI adoption in advertising is accelerating risks across the digital information ecosystem. It places the advertising industry at the center of how information flows online. The brief signals that spending decisions by advertisers determine which content is produced, amplified, and monetized.
The brief is titled Strengthening Information Integrity: Advertising, Artificial Intelligence and the Global Information Crisis. It notes that as AI tools become embedded in media buying and content generation, existing dynamics are intensifying. The advertising industry shapes which material gains visibility and which remains unseen. Revenue flows continue regardless of the quality or accuracy of the content funded. The UN frames these dynamics as central to the broader information ecosystem.
The document highlights several growing risks tied to AI use in advertising. AI is accelerating the spread of disinformation, hate speech, and polarizing content, while ad revenue continues to fund online material regardless of its accuracy. A lack of transparency in AI-driven advertising systems is raising concerns about fraud and inefficiency. The rise of AI-generated content also threatens the viability of independent journalism. Declining trust in digital environments is already undermining the effectiveness of ad campaigns.
“Advertising funds the systems that help shape what people see, trust and believe,” said Charlotte Scaddan, UN Senior Adviser on Information Integrity. She warned that “without swift action and guardrails, AI risks accelerating the breakdown of information ecosystem integrity,” adding that advertisers have the power to help fix it.
Harriet Kingaby of the Conscious Advertising Network said brands are under pressure to move fast on AI, but doing so without guardrails risks undermining the very environments their marketing depends on. She stressed:
“This is not about slowing innovation – it’s about making sure it works for business and society.”
The brief emphasizes that these issues are not only societal concerns but direct business risks.
The UN briefing calls on policymakers to align governance frameworks for AI and advertising with international standards on information integrity. It urges cooperation with industry and civil society to improve transparency. For advertisers, it recommends demanding greater visibility across AI supply chains and prioritizing quality media environments. It also advises using financial leverage to push platforms toward stronger safeguards for users and consumers. Evidence cited in the brief suggests that improving transparency in media buying can deliver double-digit gains in advertising performance.
