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Junk websites filled with AI-generated text are pulling in money from programmatic ads

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Summary

A new report from NewsGuard has found that over 140 major brands are unknowingly paying for ads on junk websites filled with AI-generated text. Companies are using AI chatbots to fill these websites with low quality content that attracts ad revenue. Ninety percent of the ads from major brands found on these AI-generated news sites were served by Google, although the company's own policies prohibit sites from placing Google-served ads on pages with spammy automatically generated content. NewsGuard has a clever way to identify these junk AI-written websites, such as looking for error messages typical of generative AI systems. These sites are often filled with clickbait, autoplay videos, and pop-up ads, and around $13 billion is wasted globally on these sites each year. Google has responded to the issue by stating that ads on AI-generated websites will be blocked if violations of their policies are detected. The problem threatens to worsen the spread of misinformation online, and experts are unsure of how to address the issue.

Q&As

What is programmatic advertising and how is it being exploited by AI-generated content?
Programmatic advertising is a practice where algorithms place ads on various websites according to complex calculations that optimize the number of eyeballs an ad might attract from the company’s target audience. AI-generated content is being exploited by content farms that use tactics such as clickbait, autoplay videos, and pop-up ads to squeeze as much money as possible out of advertisers.

How is Google responding to the problem of AI-generated content appearing on its platform?
Google has stated that it has strict policies that govern the type of content that can monetize on its platform and that it blocks or removes ads from serving if it detects violations. It also recognizes that bad actors may leverage technology, such as generative AI, to circumvent its policies and enforcement systems.

What policies are in place to protect against AI-generated content appearing on websites?
Policies are in place to prohibit sites from placing Google-served ads on pages with “spammy automatically generated content” and most ad exchanges and platforms have policies against serving ads on content farms.

How are brands unwittingly supporting AI-generated content?
Brands are unwittingly supporting AI-generated content by paying for ad placements on websites that they may have never heard of before, with little to no human oversight. Ads from major brands are being served via Google on AI-generated sites, likely without their knowledge.

What impact does AI-generated content have on the spread of misinformation?
AI-generated content has the potential to exacerbate the misinformation problem by incentivizing the creation of clickbaity websites that are often riddled with junk and misinformation. AI-written sites have been found to spread harmful health misinformation with headlines like “Can lemon cure skin allergy?” and “How can you prevent cancer naturally?”

AI Comments

👍 This article provides an in-depth look into the problem of AI-generated websites and programmatic ads and offers an innovative solution to the problem.

👎 This article fails to provide any concrete solutions to the problem of AI-generated websites and programmatic ads, leaving readers feeling frustrated and helpless.

AI Discussion

Me: It's about how junk websites filled with AI-generated text are pulling in money from programmatic ads. Apparently, more than 140 brands are advertising on these low-quality content farm sites, and the problem is growing fast. Ninety percent of the ads from major brands found on these AI-generated news sites were served by Google, though Google's own policies prohibit sites from placing Google-served ads on pages with "spammy automatically generated content."

Friend: Wow, that's really concerning. It's worrisome that there's no way to really control these AI-generated websites and the content they produce, and that these sites are getting money from programmatic ads. It could lead to a glitchy, spammy internet that is overrun with AI-generated content, as well as wasting a lot of ad money.

Me: Yeah, and it's also worrying that these AI-generated sites can also spread misinformation. For example, one AI-generated site was spreading false health information with headlines like "Can lemon cure skin allergy?" The ads on this site were served via Google, but when MIT Technology Review flagged the ads to Google, they removed them from many sites.

Friend: That's good to hear, but it's still concerning that this is happening in the first place. It's hard to control what AI-generated content is being spread, and it's even more difficult to make sure that ads aren't being placed on these sites. It looks like tech companies will need to come up with a better system to monitor and regulate these sites in order to protect people from misinformation.

Action items

Research the current policies of major ad exchanges and platforms to ensure that ads are not being served on content farms.
Educate yourself on the potential risks of programmatic advertising and the ways in which AI-generated content can be used to spread misinformation.
Reach out to your local representatives to advocate for more robust mechanisms to catch the spread of misinformation online.

Technical terms

AI-generated text: Text created by artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms.
Programmatic ads: Ads that are automatically placed on websites according to complex calculations that optimize the number of eyeballs an ad might attract from the company’s target audience.
Content farms: Websites that use tactics such as clickbait, autoplay videos, and pop-up ads to squeeze as much money as possible out of advertisers.
Generative AI: Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms that can generate content automatically.
Programmatic advertising: The practice of automatically bidding on spots to run ads through a process of algorithmic calculations.
Made-for-advertising sites: Websites that use tactics such as clickbait, autoplay videos, and pop-up ads to squeeze as much money as possible out of advertisers.
Google Ads: Google’s programmatic ad product.
Adalytics: A digital forensics and ad verification company.
Misinformation: False or inaccurate information.
Clickbait: Content designed to attract attention and encourage visitors to click on a link to a particular web page.
Autoplay videos: Videos that automatically start playing when a web page is loaded.
Pop-up ads: Ads that appear in a new window when a web page is loaded.