The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has released its Guidelines for Responsible Labelling of Synthetically Generated Content in Advertising, following stakeholder consultations on the draft guidelines issued in May. The guidelines establish disclosure requirements for advertising content created or enhanced using AI and other forms of synthetically generated content (SGC). They are aimed at addressing potential consumer harm arising from misleading representations, fabricated endorsements, unsafe situations and the unauthorised use of an individual’s likeness.
Under the guidelines, certain uses of SGC remain prohibited regardless of whether an AI disclosure is provided. These include fabricated endorsements or testimonials, misleading representations of product performance, fabricated locations presented as real, unauthorised use of copyrighted material and deepfakes or likenesses used without consent.
Disclosure will be mandatory where SGC materially influences consumer decisions and its omission could mislead consumers. This includes synthetic influencers or ambassadors, consent-based replication of a real person’s voice or likeness, fabricated events or settings, demonstrations of products that do not exist, highly relevant AI-generated sound effects and paid AI-generated product recommendations. The latter must carry the label “Sponsored by [Brand]”.
The guidelines do not require disclosure for routine editing and other uses that do not materially affect an informed consumer choice. These include colour and lighting adjustments, noise reduction, minor blemish removal, decorative elements, obvious fantasy effects, advertising copy generation, subtitles, translations and accurate audio descriptions.
Where disclosure is required, advertisers may use labels such as “Audio/Video created using AI” or “Audio/Video enhanced using AI”, including platform-provided labels. Alternative wording may also be used where it accurately communicates the nature of the synthetic content.
Manisha Kapoor, Secretary General and CEO, ASCI, said: “The use of AI in advertising is evolving rapidly, and our approach must evolve with it while keeping the consumer at the centre. These guidelines provide for practical transparency requirements, when a consumer’s understanding of an advertisement may be adversely impacted without an AI label. Importantly, it clarifies where the mere use of an AI label may not make an otherwise misleading advertisement acceptable. The responsibility remains with advertisers to ensure that the end communication is honest, transparent and compliant with the ASCI Code.”
All advertising using SGC will continue to be assessed under the ASCI Code in its entirety. The new guidelines will come into effect three months from the date of publication.
