Updated October 2026. This article is a practical overview, not legal advice. AI regulations and network requirements are changing quickly, so always confirm the current requirements for your campaign.
Just a few years ago, the thought of magically conjuring voiceovers, images, or even actors with artificial intelligence seemed like science fiction. Today, it’s become so common in the advertising workflow that we don’t even think twice about it. Adoption of these new abilities has been startlingly fast, and it’s been the Wild West in terms of the ethical and legal considerations involved.
Am I allowed to clone somebody’s voice? Can I make a testimonial ad featuring an AI actor? Advertisers asked these questions, and then mostly just did it.
Now, as brands become more and more comfortable to include AI-generated products and environments in their advertising, regulation is starting to catch up. New York's synthetic performer disclosure law, for example, is now in effect, and California just passed its own legislation, which starts January 1, 2027.
So here's the practical question: what can you actually do with AI in a TV or digital ad, and when do you need consent or a disclaimer?
A good rule of thumb to keep in mind: the more AI moves from helping you make the ad to creating the people, performances and claims inside it, the more careful you need to be.Let’s consider the different applications of artificial intelligence step by step and the regulatory and legal details you should keep in mind.
Yes, go for it. Artifical intelligence now allows VFX artists to do things in minutes that used to take days.
Extending a set, removing an object or generating a background can be considered production tools. You're not creating a synthetic performance or changing what the consumer is buying. So, as far as regulations are concerned, this is likely a low risk activity as long as you own the material and have the right to alter it.
Generating imagery or video of your own product is also considered safe. However, you can't materially misrepresent what you're selling. If you make sure the images are accurate, you should be fine.
The threshold for product accuracy varies by industry, so be sure to check specific industrywide practices. For example, medical device and pharma require high fidelity, whereas automotive ads have more leeway.
Yes, with consent. At Screenbridge, our agency specializing in turning UGC into TV ads, we often work with UGC created by brand founders. Most of the time, busy founders are not available to re-record lines every time we change edits. For that reason, we use AI to replicate their voices… with permission of course.
If you're replicating an identifiable person's voice, likeness or performance, get their permission to use it that way.
At Screenbridge, we use AI voices all the time, especially for simple CTAs. So one of our first questions was: does every national TV spot with an AI voice now need a disclaimer?
It depends on where the spot runs.
To keep things safe and cover the brand and agencies you’re working with, we recommend a disclaimer every time you use an AI VO, something along the lines of “Voiceover generated using artificial intelligence.”
Include this disclaimer when the AI voice is first used and keep it on screen for a decent amount of time, such as four seconds.
The takeaway: an AI voice doesn't always legally require a disclosure yet, but assume you'll need one. Check the network's rules and where the ad will air before you lock the edit, and leave room for an on-screen disclaimer text like "Voiceover generated using artificial intelligence."
This one is clearer. If you create a person who doesn't exist and have them perform in your ad, you're likely creating what the new laws call a synthetic performer.
Both laws apply based on where the ad reaches viewers, not where the brand is based, so a national TV spot is covered by both.
Additionally, an AI actor can't pretend to be a real customer. A fictional AI character explaining your product is one thing. An AI-generated person saying "I've been taking this supplement for three months and I feel amazing" is a fake testimonial, and FTC rules against those apply whether the person was created with AI or not.
You can. But generating everything doesn't make the earlier questions go away. You still need to ask:
The technology is new. Most of the underlying principles aren't.
We'll keep updating this guide as the rules evolve.
This article is a practical overview, not legal advice. AI regulations and network requirements are changing quickly, so always confirm the current requirements for your campaign.
