Our Rules for Using AI in Adverts Honestly

AI can make almost anything look real. A customer who doesn't exist praising a product they never used. A skin cream erasing wrinkles it can't touch. A crowd at a launch that never happened.

That power is exactly why an AI video agency needs rules. These are ours. We follow them on every advert we make, and we think every business using AI in its marketing should adopt something similar.

Why this matters more in Ghana

Ghanaian buyers have been burned before: fake products, fake MoMo screenshots, sellers who vanish after payment. Trust is the sale here. See Ghanaian buyer psychology.

An advert that gets caught misleading doesn't just lose one customer. It gets screenshotted, shared in WhatsApp groups and remembered. A brand can take years to recover. Honesty isn't just ethical. It's the better business decision.

Rule 1: The product must be the real product

Every AI image or video showing your product starts from photos and clips of the actual product. Colour, shape, size, texture and label stay accurate. We'll change the background, the setting, the lighting and the person holding it. We won't change what the buyer will receive.

If a buyer opens the parcel and it doesn't match the advert, the advert lied.

Rule 2: No fake reviews or testimonials

We never invent customers or put words in a real customer's mouth.

Testimonial-style adverts are fine when they're based on genuine feedback. If a real customer wrote "the bag still looks new after a year", an AI presenter can say that line, clearly as a presenter, not as that customer. We won't make up praise nobody gave, and we won't create an AI person and present them as a real buyer. See customer reviews and testimonials.

Rule 3: No results the product can't deliver

Before-and-after images, weight loss, skin changes, money made, exam results: these are where AI is most tempting and most dangerous. We only show results that are typical and that you can back up. For health, beauty and finance products, we're stricter still, and we follow the advertising platforms' policies for those categories.

Rule 4: No fake proof

No invented sales numbers, fake crowds, fake media logos or made-up awards. If an advert says "1,000 customers", you have 1,000 customers.

Rule 5: Real people need real permission

We don't use the face, voice or likeness of a real person without their written permission. That includes celebrities, influencers, your staff and your customers. AI voice cloning of a real person happens only with their consent, for your brand, and for the agreed use.

Rule 6: Follow the platform rules on disclosure

Meta, TikTok and YouTube have policies on AI-generated and altered content, and may label it. Where the rules require disclosure, we disclose. Where an advert could make people believe something false happened, we don't make it at all. Policies change, so we check them for every campaign.

Rule 7: Don't hide the business

Every advert makes it clear who is selling. No pretending to be news, a government notice or an independent reviewer.

What AI is for

None of this makes AI less useful. It makes it more useful, because honest AI adverts keep working. Here's what AI is genuinely good for:

• Making your real product look as good as it is, in settings that would cost a fortune to shoot.
• Testing many honest messages to find the one that resonates.
• Producing voiceovers, captions and versions quickly.
• Explaining how something works, clearly.
• Making adverts affordable for businesses that couldn't pay for shoots.

AI should make your honest message cheaper to produce. It should never make a dishonest one look real.

Will people mind that the advert used AI?

Mostly, no. Buyers care whether the advert is clear, relevant and true. A product video made with AI that shows the real product honestly is no different, to the buyer, from one shot with a camera. What people mind is being lied to.

Common questions

Is it legal to use AI in adverts in Ghana?

Using AI to produce adverts isn't prohibited. Misleading advertising is a problem whether or not AI is involved. If you're in a regulated category such as health, food, finance or alcohol, check the specific rules that apply.

Can you make an advert with my own face or voice?

Yes, with your permission, from your own photos, video or voice recordings.

What if a client asks you to break these rules?

We say no and explain why. We'd rather lose a project than make an advert that damages a brand.

To see how we put this into practice, read our AI video production process or see our AI video ads service.