Balancing Brand Safety for Journalism in the Age of AI

Brand safety is a critical concern for marketers, especially as they navigate the complexities of new technologies and the media landscape. At one end of the spectrum, generative AI offers immense potential for enhancing content creation with greater efficiency and personalization. However, this promise comes with risks. AI can generate inaccuracies, perpetuate biases, and even create deepfakes—realistic but fake videos or images that can damage a brand's reputation. To harness AI's benefits without compromising trust, brands must be diligent about AI advancements and integrate ethical considerations into their strategies.

On the other end of the spectrum, overly conservative and rigid brand safety measures have unintended consequences. Take news content, for example; broad keyword block lists, which are intended to protect brands from undesirable content, often result in news content being unfairly and significantly blocked. This approach has led to significant underinvestment in news publishers, undermining their ability to fund essential journalism. As Joy Robins, NYT Global Chief Advertising Officer, pointed out, this trend of "news avoidance" not only misrepresents news content as unsafe but also threatens the sustainability of journalism that relies on advertising revenue.

The challenge for brands today is finding the right balance between leveraging new technologies and protecting their reputation without stifling quality journalism. Nuanced and sophisticated brand safety strategies are essential in navigating this complex landscape. Staying updated on AI developments and utilizing detailed risk assessments, such as those provided by Pixalate, can help brands make informed decisions, ensuring their ads appear in safe environments while supporting legitimate content.

Meanwhile, Sell-Side Platforms (SSPs) are crucial in how ads are distributed across channels. Pixalate's recent analysis highlights that SSPs selling ads on a significant share of CTV apps, particularly on platforms like Roku and Amazon Fire TV, are often rated as "high" risk for brand safety. These ratings, based on app descriptions and in-app content, offer an informed view of the risks involved. Brands can use this data to navigate the risks associated with programmatic advertising and ensure their brand safety measures protect them without stifling legitimate content creators.

Ultimately, creating an ecosystem where brand safety measures protect advertisers without compromising high-quality adjacencies, like news content, will foster a healthier digital advertising landscape. This balanced approach benefits both brands and content creators, ensuring sustainable growth for all stakeholders involved.