How many ads are AI generated?
Of six published figures on AI in ads, from two sources, none counts ads served, and two are ad buyers’ estimates of a share. Four of the six come from one IAB study, read on 2 October 2026. Its headline has buyers expecting generative AI to make 40 per cent of all ads by 2026.
| Figure | What it counts | Publisher and date | Sample and method | Sponsor | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 40% of all ads by 2026 | Buyers’ projection of the share of all ads, in a study of video ad creative | IAB, 15 Jul 2025 | Survey of ad buyers; sample not given in the release | IAB with Advertiser Perceptions and Guideline | IAB release |
| F2 About 30% of digital ads bought in 2025, 39% in 2026 | Buyers’ estimate of the share of digital ads bought by US advertisers and agencies | IAB report, as VideoWeek reported it, 15 Jul 2025 | Surveys among senior buy-side figures; sample not given | IAB with Advertiser Perceptions | VideoWeek |
| F3 Half of advertisers | Advertisers using GenAI to build video ads | IAB, 15 Jul 2025 | As F1 | As F1 | IAB release |
| F4 86% of buyers | Buyers using or planning to use GenAI for video creative | IAB, 15 Jul 2025 | As F1 | As F1 | IAB release |
| F5 More than 8 million | Advertisers using at least one of Meta’s GenAI creative tools | Meta CFO Susan Li, Q1 2026 call, reported 30 Apr 2026 | Meta’s own platform data; method not published | Meta | TechCrunch |
| F6 9 million | Small businesses using at least one of Meta’s AI creative tools | Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Q2 2026 call, 29 Jul 2026 | Meta’s own platform data; method not published | Meta | Transcript repost |
Scroll sideways for all 6 columns
What each kind of figure measures
Three kinds of number circulate, and only one is about ads. Platform label counts would be a fourth, and no platform publishes them.
Advertisers using a tool: F5 and F6 count accounts that used at least one AI creative feature, however rarely. An advertiser who animated one image counts the same as one whose every ad is generated. So “8 million advertisers” gives no share of ads, and nothing on this page turns it into one.
Buyer estimates of a share: F1 and F2 ask buyers what share of the ads they buy is built with AI. They are estimates from people placing ads, the closest thing to a share of ads that exists, and still a survey answer.
Buyers using or planning: F3 and F4 count people. “Planning” is intent.
Platform label counts: none is published. Meta, TikTok and Google each label or mark AI-made ads, and none says how many ads carry the label.
The IAB figure, read in full
IAB’s release of 15 July 2025 gives the headline as a projection: “Buyers project GenAI creative will reach 40% of all ads by 2026, with small and mid-tier brands adopting it faster than the largest brands.” It names its partners, Advertiser Perceptions and Guideline, and gives no sample size or fieldwork dates.
The 30 per cent figure is not in the release. It comes from the full report as VideoWeek relayed it: “around 30 percent of digital ads bought by US advertisers and agencies will have been built using generative AI this year”, rising to 39 per cent.
So the same study circulates as 39 per cent for 2026 in one place and 40 in another. ANA’s summary of 18 July 2025 carries it as “nearly one-third of ad creative”.
F1 comes from a study of video ad creative; F2 counts digital ads bought by US advertisers and agencies. Both are US buyers’ expectations for 2025 and 2026. Cite them as a survey estimate, with the year.
What the platforms disclose
Meta labels ads made or significantly edited with its own AI tools “AI info”. It detects third-party AI through industry signals such as C2PA (Meta Business Help Center). Its earnings calls give user counts (F5, F6) and no count of labelled ads. Our Meta AI disclosure guide covers when the label appears.
TikTok rejects or restricts significantly AI-made ads that carry neither its AIGC label nor a disclaimer (ads policy). It publishes no count of labelled ads; the TikTok AI label guide quotes the rule.
Google Ads marks assets made in its own tools with SynthID and C2PA (Google Ads Help) and gives no count of marked ads.
Amazon requires sellers to tag AI-generated people in images, CNBC reported on 23 July 2026 (CNBC). No count is published.
The AI ad disclosure rules set each platform’s rule beside the laws.
Method
A figure joins the register when a platform, trade body or research firm publishes it and says what it counts. We read it at its source, or at the nearest public report of it. Vendor statistics pages appear only as places a figure circulates.
Searches on 2 October 2026: “how many ads are ai generated”, “IAB report 2026 percent of video ads created with generative AI” and “Meta advertisers generative AI ad tools number”. A figure without a published method is marked “method not published” and never leads the page.
A new figure joins as the next row id, and an existing row keeps its id when corrected. Corrections show in the page’s list of changes and on updates and corrections.
How to cite this data
adtestbench, "How many ads are AI generated?", https://adtestbench.com/data/ai-ads-census/, updated .
Sources
- IAB: Nearly 90% of Advertisers will Use Gen AI to Build Video Ads, According to IAB, release of 15 July 2025 for the 2025 Digital Video Ad Spend and Strategy report, made with Advertiser Perceptions and Guideline; half of advertisers using GenAI for video ads, 86 per cent using or planning, 40 per cent of all ads by 2026; no sample size or fieldwork dates in the release. Checked
- VideoWeek: Half of US buyers are using generative AI for digital video ad creation, 15 July 2025 report on the same IAB study: around 30 per cent of digital ads bought this year built with generative AI, 39 per cent next year; surveys by Advertiser Perceptions among senior buy-side figures. Checked
- ANA: Nearly One-Third of Ad Creative Is Now Built Using AI, 18 July 2025 summary of the IAB study; where the one-third figure circulates. Checked
- TechCrunch: Meta says its business AI now facilitates 10 million conversations a week, 30 April 2026, quoting Meta CFO Susan Li on the first-quarter 2026 earnings call: more than 8 million advertisers using at least one GenAI ad creative tool. Checked
- Moomoo: Meta Platforms Q2 2026 earnings conference call, transcript repost of Meta’s second-quarter 2026 call, 29 July 2026, Mark Zuckerberg speaking: 9 million small businesses using at least one AI ad creative tool. Checked
- Meta Business Help Center: About AI info on ads created or edited with generative AI tools, automatic AI info labels for Meta’s tools and for third-party tools through signals such as C2PA; no count of labelled ads; en_US version, undated. Checked
- TikTok Advertising Policies: Misleading and false content, section Edited media and AI-generated content (AIGC): the label or a disclaimer for significantly AI-made ads; no count of labelled ads. Checked
- Google Ads Help: Use AI content label settings and disclosures, SynthID and C2PA on assets made in Google Ads; no count of marked ads; undated. Checked
- CNBC: Amazon makes sellers label AI-generated people in images after NY law, 23 July 2026 report of Amazon’s seller rule; no count of tagged listings or ads. Checked
What changed on this page
- Page written: six published figures and four platform disclosures, each read at its source.
Alexandre S.
Alexandre S. is a creative strategist and copywriter with ten years in content and SEO. He writes and edits short-form ads, works in English and French, and reads the pricing and terms pages behind every tool on this site before anything is written about it.
Related pages
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Data AI ad tool price tracker59 of 76 AI ad tools show a list price read on the vendor’s own page, last checked 25 September 2026, with the cost per clip or image where a rate allows.
- Guide TikTok’s AI-generated content label for ads
TikTok rejects or restricts AI-generated ads with no AIGC label or disclaimer. Its rules by case, quoted: Spark Ads, Symphony, C2PA. Checked 24 September 2026.
- Guide AI UGC meaning: what is AI UGC?
AI UGC is ad video made or edited with AI to look like a customer or creator filmed it. Its two meanings, and vendor terms on passing it off as human.
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Method How we assess AI ad toolsWhat every adtestbench review rests on. Official pricing pages read and dated, terms quoted by clause, public user reviews counted and linked, and re-checks.
