The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is taking a proactive, world-leading approach to online ad regulation through its Active Ad Monitoring system. Built on AI and machine learning, the system allows us to capture and review vast volumes of digital ads at speed and scale, helping us identify non-compliant advertising more quickly than before.
In 2024, Active Ad Monitoring scanned 28 million ads – a tenfold increase on the previous year – and we are on track to reach 50 million a year by the end of 2025. Instead of relying solely on complaints from the public or labour-intensive manual searches, we now combine large-scale automated capture with expert human review. The system filters ads using AI to highlight likely breaches of the rules, presenting investigators with organised lists and explanations to support swift enforcement.
The system is already making a difference in high-priority areas such as alcohol, gambling, financial advertising, e-cigarettes, influencer marketing and green claims. In climate and environment monitoring, for example, recent sweeps have shown high levels of compliance following precedent-setting rulings.
By investing in data science, the ASA is strengthening its ability to keep pace with the fast-moving online advertising ecosystem and protect people from irresponsible ads.