In the early stages of advertising, brands display their product in the newspaper with a written statement on its purpose. However, the evolution of advertising advanced quickly alongside the technological revolution, to the point where it seems as if advertisers can read minds. Almost everyone has had an experience where they talk about an issue or something they desire, and the next day, the perfect product solution appears on social media with a link to buy.
These occurrences were once bewildering but are now so common and frequent that people may not think about why they see certain products, what it means, and how they can be ethically concerning. Advertisers are not reading our minds, but they are reading our behaviors, tracking our motivations, predicting our moods, and using this information to put the perfect product in front of us.
Some people enjoy how easily their purchasing needs are met. In contrast, others rightfully worry about the ethical implications of advertisers knowing us just as well or even better than we know ourselves.
Advertisers discover who should see certain products through psychographic targeting, a process in which advertisers tap into consumers' values, motivations, moods, and beliefs. The strategy is even more effective when it predicts what consumers' moods will be when they view the ad and then revolve their selling points around that mood. This strategy does not use cookies or online tracking, so some people find it a less invasive form of advertising. However, if advertisers can predict a mood of vulnerability (e.g., mental health or addiction), they could unethically capitalize off people seeking help by putting them in a seemingly irresistible position.
Advertisers are also adopting a tool that stirs ethical controversy in almost every industry brought to artificial intelligence. The machine-learning technology allows advertisers to access and comprehend the vast information available through digital media. That means companies can deeply understand subconscious motivations and behaviors that we may not even know about ourselves.
AI brings the ethical issue of exploitation of personal issues for profit. The learning tool has the power to personal history, struggles, good and bad habits, motivations, and repeat behaviors. What happens when advertisers use this knowledge to target personal weaknesses? What happens when advertisers target a beer campaign at people struggling with alcohol addiction and trying to recover, who are easily susceptible to falling back into bad habits?
There is a fine line between using AI to target consumers without exploiting their personal lives, and without updated advertising ethics, the technology is bound to cause issues.
The best way for advertisers to avoid ethical consequences is to uphold high standards of transparency. Consumers should be made aware of how they are targeted, and advertisements should clearly state what the consumer is giving up for the product and what they are gaining. Updated ethics surrounding artificial intelligence could also keep advertisers from crossing the ethical line.
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