ASCI to harness AI, other technologies for enhanced compliance monitoring of ads

Mumbai: The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) plans to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies to enhance compliance monitoring, its chief executive and secretary general Manisha Kapoor said.

With the rapid growth of digital advertising, ASCI is focusing on technology to address challenges in regulating ads across sectors like alcohol and healthcare, which are governed by complex jurisdictional issues.

Speaking to Mint, Kapoor stressed on the need to work with tech partners to develop AI tools tailored to India’s advertising landscape. “We are not a tech company, obviously, so we will work with partners and technology providers. The question is, how do we bring all of those technologies together? How do we customize it? How do we teach the model enough for it to give an accurate result?” she said.

These AI models will be trained on Indian ads and ASCI’s guidelines, helping advertisers test their content before release to ensure compliance. Kapoor said that this initiative could benefit smaller advertisers, many of whom lack in-house compliance teams. “Many of these advertisers may not even have a marketing head. It’s very founder-driven,” she added, explaining how technology could help them self-regulate effectively.

Also Read: Health-tech, travel apps in India biggest users of deceptive patterns: ASCI

However, Kapoor cautioned that this initiative will take time. “I don’t think we’ll be able to bring it out to the market overnight, but those are the areas of interest,” she said.

Tackling Digital Advertising Challenges

Kapoor pointed to the significant challenges posed by digital advertising, especially around jurisdiction. “When there is an ad on digital, the borderless nature of digital makes enforcement difficult,” she explained.

For instance, alcohol advertising is controlled by state excise authorities, but digital ads often evade these restrictions. “Direct alcohol advertising is banned on TV and print, but enforcing this on digital platforms is much more complicated,” Kapoor noted. ASCI, a self-regulatory body of the advertising industry, escalates such violations to state authorities, but cross-jurisdictional enforcement remains a challenge.

Kapoor highlighted ASCI’s recent collaboration with the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) to scrutinise real estate ads, which resulted in fines for misleading advertisements. She hinted at forming similar partnerships with other state authorities in future.

Focus on Small and Medium Advertisers

A key focus for ASCI is helping small and medium advertisers, especially those without compliance resources. “How do we enable them to get their advertising right? How do we make sure they stay compliant?” Kapoor said. She emphasized that AI could play a crucial role here by analyzing ads, comparing them to ASCI’s guidelines, and flagging concerns before they go live.

“Technically, let's say you feed in an ad, and it compares it with an ASCI guideline and gives you a score. It tells you, ‘These are the three areas in your ad that you may want to correct.’ So, it’s about reading the visuals, the context, and the text,” she said.

Also Read: Is the product that an AI model is peddling even real?

However, training AI models to do this accurately is resource-intensive. “It may not be very capital-intensive, but it is very bandwidth-intensive,” Kapoor said. ASCI will need to review ads from the past year to train the system, a process that requires significant manpower.

Addressing Dark Patterns

ASCI is also working with the government to address "dark patterns"—manipulative design tactics that mislead consumers. Kapoor said ASCI’s recent report found that 52 out of 53 apps studied deployed dark patterns. “We all knew dark patterns existed, but this is the first-ever report in India that has established the extent of the problem,” she said.

The Union ministry of consumer affairs has also issued guidelines on dark patterns. Kapoor emphasized ASCI’s role in monitoring dark patterns in advertising, while the government tackles broader manipulative marketing practices.

Collaboration with Government

ASCI works closely with government bodies like the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Kapoor noted that ASCI escalates non-compliance cases to these authorities for further action.

Also Read: India plans a unified system for complaints against misleading ads

"Different priorities arise at different points in time because the environment is not stagnant. We continue to work closely with the government on several fronts,” she said.

Kapoor envisions a future where AI, technology, and collaboration will ensure the advertising industry remains ethical, compliant, and consumer-friendly.