A brand puts out a new campaign with imagery that looks like it could be AI-generated, eagle-eyed observers point out that said campaign is likely AI-generated, backlash ensues, the brand (sometimes) makes a vague statement of acknowledgement, and everyone moves on. Rinse and repeat.
That cycle has come for big-name brands like Guess, J.Crew, and Skechers in recent weeks. The use of (or, at least, accusations of the use of) AI-generated imagery in ads by major brands may signal a shift in the marketing landscape—namely that, slowly but surely, marketers seem to be getting more comfortable using AI-generated imagery, regardless of whether consumers are comfortable seeing it. (The brands did not immediately respond to Marketing Brew’s requests for comment.)
“You’re already seeing things that used to be a photo shoot, even if it’s just stock imagery, you’re seeing that now be replaced by AI imagery,” Jon Weidman, SVP of development and head of brand content at production studio Wavelength, said. “[Your feed is] filling up with quote, unquote, slop, a volume of content that wouldn’t be possible without these tools. We see it. We’re watching it. I don't see a world in which the cat goes back in that bag.”
Weidman isn’t alone in the assessment that the steady drip of AI imagery from brands will likely continue and increase.
A steady increase?
According to a recent report from the Interactive Advertising Bureau, 90% of the digital ad buyers surveyed either are planning to use or are currently using generative AI to make digital video ads.
“Every couple months, we have conversations with brands, ‘What do you think about using this technology? Are we? Do we? Does this help? Does it add value? Does it remove friction or cost or anything like that? Are there any risks involved?’” Jason Carmel, global creative data lead at VML, told Marketing Brew.
But even as marketers ask those questions and consider whether or not to use AI-generated imagery in ads, they “don’t want to be in the news because they’re using AI imagery,” Carmel said. “There are a million good ways to use this technology, and we’re exploring all of them, and our brands that we represent are exploring them as well.”
The reasons for that exploration vary. For some marketers, the decision to use AI-generated imagery for an ad campaign is about cost.
Get marketing news you'll actually want to read
Marketing Brew informs marketing pros of the latest on brand strategy, social media, and ad tech via our weekday newsletter, virtual events, marketing conferences, and digital guides.
“It’s all about the budget,” Abigail Olivas, head of strategy at No Single Individual, a shop that provides talent assistance to agencies and brands, said. At the same time, she added that a sentiment shift helps as “we’re in a cultural swing of, the future is AI, and people are getting more used to it… brands [are] feeling empowered, too.”
The brands are keen
The increasing use of AI-generated imagery in advertising comes at a time when brands have tightened the proverbial belt amid economic uncertainty. When Gartner research found in May that marketing budgets in 2025 were stagnant, agency executives noted that they had seen shoot budgets decrease this year given that uncertainty.
Olivas estimates that shoot budgets for some brands this year had been cut in half. “Let’s say a company that used to do a $750,000 shoot last year, and have a budget for their shoot [of] $300,000 this year,” Olivas said. “And so that is less shots, less output, less scenes, etc., right?”
When that’s the case, exploring the use of AI-generated imagery in ads is a solution that some marketers are more willing to consider. For others, it’s squeezed timelines and the ability to maximize output.
“It’s not just about being cheap, but it’s about being able to respond quickly, and it’s about being able to connect to things quicker,” Scott Thibodeaux, VP and creative director at Transmission, said.
To Thibodeaux, the appeal of generative AI tools for brands and agencies is not about brands spending less than they would before but about a difference in what brands can get with that same budget. “We can do something [for you] that you just wouldn’t have had before,” he said.
Not a replacement
As brands test AI-generated imagery for campaigns, some agency execs don’t expect the use to replace shoots and production altogether.
There’s still trepidation about how much AI-generated advertising is viable and an understanding that people will be more critical of the use of it from brands in categories like fashion and beauty.
“We’re still at a point where people are nervous about it,” Carmel said. “We’re gonna start to see drips and drabs, people, brands are going to be more comfortable using it, but I don’t think we’re going to see a whole-hog replacement of anything for quite some time.”