Are AI-Generated Ads Killing Brand Authenticity? India’s Marketing Boom Meets a Creative Crossroads

Imagine a world where your new ad is ready before you finish your morning coffee. That world is here, and marketers are racing into it. But at what cost?

As companies in India increasingly rely on generative AI tools such as Google Gemini and ChatGPT to produce ads, the allure of speed and low cost is colliding with serious concern over brand identity, creativity, and long-term brand value.

Why Brands Are Racing to Adopt AI-Generated Ads

AI turns ad production into a “plug-and-play” utility

Traditionally, ad creation has been resource-heavy: multiple stakeholders, revisions, photoshoots, scripting, editing. Generative AI is transforming this by enabling rapid creation of copy, images, even video drafts — sometimes in minutes. As one Indian health-food startup founder told Mint, switching to Gemini and ChatGPT doubled their return on ad spend (ROAS) while cutting creative cycle time by more than half.

For smaller brands and startups, often constrained by budgets and manpower, this shift is a game-changer. Tools can quickly generate dozens of ad variants tailored to different demographics, platforms, or campaign goals.

AI marketing startups are scaling fast

This surge in AI-driven marketing has not gone unnoticed by investors. Startups offering ad creation, video generation, and campaign automation are pulling in fresh capital.

Incumbent global brands are also experimenting. Recent campaigns by major multinationals have used AI-generated video ads for holiday season pushes, while consumer companies such as packaged-goods brands reportedly plan multi-million-dollar investments to scale AI-led marketing efforts.

The Growing Creatives vs. Machines Debate

Efficiency vs. creative depth

Not everyone is cheering. Creative-industry veterans warn that while AI excels at generating large volumes of content fast, it often lacks the spark that comes from human creativity. According to one independent creative director, AI ads may feel efficient — but increasingly they also feel “samey,” even formulaic.

A July 2025 survey by a leading job portal in India found that over 40% of advertising and marketing professionals feared that AI tools could significantly reduce creative scope in their roles.

The risk of “brand dilution”

Relying too much on off-the-shelf AI tools for content generation can erode what makes a brand unique over time. When many brands draw from the same large-language models or generative engines, their voice, visuals, and tone may start to blend into one generic “AI style.” Industry voices argue this could hurt long-term brand equity, especially when customers begin perceiving AI-created ads as inauthentic or derivative.

Moreover, there have been instances where AI-generated ads triggered backlash. For example, a recent holiday video ad by a major beverage brand drew scrutiny over odd visuals and inconsistencies, reminding marketers that AI-generated content is not immune to error.

Navigating AI Advertising: What Works, What Doesn’t

Human-AI collaboration — not replacement

What seems to resonate with most experts is a middle path: treat AI as a co-pilot, not a replacement for creative professionals. According to one ad-tech executive, the most compelling campaigns will emerge when human insight — understanding of consumer behavior, cultural nuance, brand history, combines with AI’s efficiency.

In fact, recent academic research supports this approach. A 2025 study of a multimodal AI advertisement tool found that structured user inputs (guiding tone, brand guidelines, target personas) significantly improve AI output quality — helping maintain brand consistency while still benefiting from AI’s speed and accessibility.

Build safeguards: brand guidelines, manual review, bias detection

For brands going AI-first, instituting safeguards is critical. This could include:

• Strict brand guidelines (tone, visuals, cultural references) encoded in prompts.
• Human review of all AI-generated content, especially for video or image ads.
• Periodic audits for bias: research shows that generative AI models can embed demographic or social biases in marketing language, raising ethical and reputational risks.

What This Means for Indian Brands

For small and medium Indian brands, generative AI presents a tempting opportunity: cut costs, accelerate campaigns, experiment rapidly across platforms. In a fast-moving, crowded market, especially e-commerce, quick-commerce or social commerce, the ability to test and iterate ads quickly might confer serious competitive edge.

But as more brands jump on the same tools, the danger is that differentiation may vanish. When dozens of brands speak with the same “AI tone,” consumers may grow numb, worse, distrustful.

Going forward, success will likely hinge on brand managers who treat AI as a toolkit, but don’t outsource the soul of the brand. The best campaigns will be those where human creativity, cultural insight and strategic thinking shape AI output rather than merely approve it.

Brands that treat AI-generated content as disposable or purely transactional risk undermining their long-term equity for short-term gains.

Fast Facts: AI-Generated Ads in India Explained

What are AI-generated ads?

AI-generated ads are marketing materials like copy, images, video, which are produced using generative AI tools such as Google Gemini or ChatGPT, reducing time and cost compared to traditional creative production.

Why are Indian brands adopting them?

Indian brands are using AI-generated ads to lower production cost, accelerate speed to market, and rapidly test multiple variants, especially helpful for small brands and performance-driven campaigns.

What are the risks involved?

Over-reliance on AI can lead to creative similarity, diluted brand authenticity, reputational risk, and loss of human creativity; bias and low-quality output are other potential pitfalls.