What Are the Risks of Using AI-Generated Actors in Advertising?

Consumer Trust Is the First Risk Brands Encounter

The most immediate risk of using an AI-generated actor in advertising is consumer reaction once the synthetic nature of the performer becomes known, whether through disclosure or discovery. Audiences who feel a brand tried to pass off an AI-generated person as a real endorser without being upfront about it can respond with distrust that extends beyond the specific ad to the brand itself. This risk is amplified by growing public awareness of synthetic media, which means audiences are increasingly primed to look for signs a performer isn’t real and to react negatively if they feel deceived.

This is distinct from campaigns that openly use a stylized AI avatar or virtual character as a known creative device — audience reaction tends to differ significantly based on whether the synthetic nature of the performer was transparent from the start.

Legal and Labor Risks Layer on Top of Reputational Ones

Beyond consumer perception, brands face potential legal exposure if an AI-generated actor closely resembles a specific real, identifiable person without that person’s consent. Right-of-publicity and related endorsement laws in various jurisdictions generally protect individuals from having their likeness used commercially without permission, and courts have historically applied these protections regardless of the technology used to create the infringing likeness.

There’s also a labor and industry-relations dimension. Actor and performer unions have pushed for contractual protections addressing the use of AI-generated or digitally replicated performers, reflecting broader industry concern that AI-generated actors could reduce paid opportunities for human talent in commercial work. Brands working with agencies or productions covered by these agreements need to navigate these requirements when considering AI-generated performers.

Technical and Creative Risks Shouldn’t Be Overlooked

Even setting aside trust and legal concerns, AI-generated actors carry a creative risk: current technology, while advancing quickly, can still produce results that look subtly unconvincing — an expression that doesn’t quite land, movement that looks artificial, or a voice that sounds slightly off. An ad meant to build an emotional connection with a human-feeling spokesperson can undermine its own goal if the synthetic actor comes across as uncanny rather than persuasive, which is as much a creative and effectiveness risk as it is a trust risk.

Bottom Line

AI-generated actors in advertising carry overlapping risks — consumer distrust if not disclosed, legal exposure around likeness and endorsement law, labor and industry backlash, and the creative risk of unconvincing execution — that brands need to weigh against the cost and flexibility benefits AI-generated performers can offer.

Go deeper

• Is AI-Generated Marketing Content Required to Be Disclosed?