Artificial intelligence (AI) is a major technological innovation that is transforming digital marketing. It simplifies planning campaigns, personalizing advertising content, and customer interaction by using chatbots and by predicting customer behavior. However, even if AI promises to improve how the brand performs and inspires more creative ideas, new ethical challenges may result. How will this technology shape the future of advertising?
AI and the Personalization of Ads
In the past, mass advertising allowed companies to reach a large audience, but at the cost of financial losses and frustration within consumers who were not interested. Today, machine learning and advertising with AI offer the possibility of creating personalized digital ads. By analyzing user behavior and preferences, these technologies make it possible to target the right people at the right time. For example, companies such as Netflix and Meta are already using these tools to recommend adapted content and ads. As a result, engagement and conversion rates have increased significantly.
Optimizing ads with machine learning
Besides personalizing advertising, AI lets marketers optimize campaigns in real time. Machine learning helps adjust strategies automatically to maximize results. By keeping track of how people use the platform, their clicks, and overall behaviour, these algorithms learn from data and quickly improve advertising. Additionally, a Nielsen study found that advertising with AI delivered 17 % higher return on advertising spend (ROAS) compared to manually optimized campaigns. For example, Google Ads uses machine learning models to predict which combinations of visuals and keywords will generate the highest engagement. As a result, this real-time optimization allows marketers to reduce wasted ad spend. It also improves conversion rates more efficiently than traditional methods.
Challenges and Future possibilities
AI is a powerful and constantly evolving tool that is transforming the digital advertising industry. However, the lack of clear regulations raises important questions about ethics, transparency, and accountability. Concerns like data privacy, algorithmic bias, and ad fraud show why strong rules are needed . In the future, clear ethical rules and international standards will be essential for gaining consumer trust and ensuring advertising with AI is applied responsibly. I just learned that The Big Short’s Michael Burry warns that current AI hype might not last, by buying options that will pay out if the price of AI-linked compagnies shares fall. Making us wonder if this technology we thought unstoppable can really last.
Conclusion
Considering both the advantages and challenges of AI, it is clear that marketers who embrace this technology today will define the future of advertising. On top of that, by letting AI handle routine tasks, marketers can focus more on creativity. They can better personalize the customer experience and increase conversion rates. On the other hand, those who ignore AI risk falling behind the competition, missing out on efficiency and performance gains. I have to admit, advertising with AI both fascinates and worries me, but will it really shape the future of advertising, or just fade away like tech trends?
Sources
Elad, B. (2025). AI in marketing statistics 2025: ROI, tools & trends. SQ Magazine. https://sqmagazine.co.uk/ai-in-marketing-statistics/
Chia, O. (2025, November 5). Trader who inspired The Big Short bets against AI as tech shares fall. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c867vyn2evlo
Media News4U Bureau. (2025, March 26). Google’s AI‑powered ads deliver higher ROI: Nielsen study. Media News4U. https://www.medianews4u.com/googles-ai-powered-ads-deliver-higher-roi-nielsen-study/
AI Explorer. (2025). Les 10 meilleures prédictions IA à observer en 2025. https://aiexplorer.io/actualites-ia/predictions-ia-en-2025/
Rivard, M. (2025, February 13). L’avenir de la publicité numérique alimentée par l’IA : les innovations de 2024 et celles à venir. Grenier. https://www.grenier.qc.ca/chroniques/47085/lavenir-de-la-publicite-numerique-alimentee-par-lia-les-innovations-de-2024-et-celles-a-venir