Meta (META, Financial) plans to roll out fully AI-automated ad creation and targeting by the end of next year, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Currently, Meta's ad platform can tweak existing ads using AI, but the new system will allow brands to upload a product image and budget, and have AI generate the complete ad—images, video and copy—before automatically selecting which Facebook and Instagram users to target and suggesting optimal spend.
Meta also aims to let advertisers serve personalized ad variants in real time (e.g., showing a vehicle climbing a snowy hill to users in winter climates versus city streets to urban viewers).
Some major brands worry that ceding more creative control to Meta could dilute their marketing voice, and point out that current AI-generated visuals in the industry can be distorted or unusable.
Meta's new tools will require substantial computing resources and customized AI models per brand, underscoring the technical challenges ahead. Meta did not comment on Seeking Alpha's request.
Investors should care because AI-driven ad creation could reduce campaign costs and shorten time-to-market, potentially boosting Meta's ad revenue—and intensify the company's control over the digital ad ecosystem.
With Google (GOOG, Financial) also advancing AI-generated video (Veo) tools, markets will watch for Meta's product demos in early 2026 and any early advertiser adoption metrics.
