Targeted Advertising, how to balance its responsibility

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing targeted digital advertising, enabling marketers to deliver highly personalized promotions with unparalleled precision. This transformation raises ethical concerns regarding transparency and trust with consumers.

Let's break it down:

Better Understanding of Customers: AI isn't just looking at basic stuff like age and location anymore. It's diving deep into how we behave online. By analysing everything from our Google searches to our Instagram likes, AI paints a detailed picture of what we're into. It's amazing, but it also makes you wonder just how much AI knows about us.

Learning from Our Reactions: It's not just about analysing data; AI is also paying attention to how we respond to ads. This means it's constantly tweaking its strategies to get better at targeting us. It's kind of cool, but also kind of creepy how AI is always adapting based on what we do.

Getting Emotional: Yep, AI can even tell how we're feeling. It's getting good at reading our emotions from things like our facial expressions and the words we use online. So now, ads can try to connect with us on an emotional level. It's like they're trying to be our digital therapists or something.

Tailored Messages: Remember when ads used to just put your name in and call it personalization? Now, AI goes way beyond that. It's crafting ads based on what we've been up to lately online. So, if you were checking out vacation spots yesterday, don't be surprised if you see ads for hiking trips today. It's super convenient, but it also makes you wonder how much AI knows about our private lives.

Need to be responsible 

Now, all this fancy AI stuff is great, but we've got to make sure it's being used ethically:

• Keep It Transparent: Companies need to be upfront about how the data is being used .

• Give Control: The recipient of the targeted advertiser should have the power to decide how much personalisation we want. At the same time they should have a functionality to say no towards a certain advertising 

• Stay Relevant, Not Creepy: AI should focus on being helpful without crossing the line into being intrusive.

• Set Some Rules: There is a need for clear regulations on how AI can use our data.

Looking ahead 

In conclusion, AI in advertising is only going to get more sophisticated. But, we've got to make sure it's not just about making money—it's about respecting people's privacy and building trust. If we can do that, AI could make ads more helpful and less annoying. It's all about finding that balance between technology and humanity.