Businesses that advertise on Facebook and Instagram will be "solely responsible" for whatever Meta's AI features create or change in their ads once the company's revised Commercial Terms take effect on 30 October, according to Adweek, as reported by PPC Land on 22 October. That includes features Meta switches on itself.
Meta's new terms say its AI features "may make mistakes and may not always produce accurate, complete, or suitable results," and that "any and all risks" sit with the advertiser, Adweek reports. No click is needed: a business that keeps running ads after the date has accepted them.
What changed
Advertisers already carried responsibility for AI output, but only when they chose to use Meta's AI creative tools. The earlier wording spoke of tools used "in your sole discretion". The new section, as Adweek describes it, attaches the same liability whether or not the advertiser opted in. A Meta spokesperson told Adweek the company is folding its generative AI ad terms into its main ad terms, and that advertisers can switch off individual Advantage+ features in Ads Manager at any time.
Already happening in live ads
- Bookshop.org said an automatic account update opted it into a generative AI feature that added an AI illustration to one of its ads
- The agency Exverus told Adweek it has pulled live ads to remove added sitelinks, translations and AI-generated images
- In June, REI pulled an Instagram ad after an AI-altered image added a second set of handlebars to a bicycle, PPC Land reported
What to do before 30 October
For businesses in Lagos, Nairobi or Johannesburg running their sales through Instagram, the practical step is the same: open Advantage+ creative settings on every live campaign and switch off the enhancements you have not approved, including those in collapsed menus. Recheck after account updates: Bookshop.org says one opted it into an AI feature without its knowledge. The change lands two days after Meta turns on product browsing in existing ads by default on 28 October.
