Advertising Standards Authority Prohibits AI Applications Promoting Female Objectification

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has prohibited advertisements for two artificial intelligence (AI) applications, 'Soulfun - AI Chat & Anime' and 'AI Chat Pal: Soulmate & RPG', concluding they promoted the sexualisation and objectification of women. This decision follows investigations into complaints concerning the content of the advertisements.

The regulator stated its 'zero-tolerance' policy for adverts that depict women in a sexualised manner or encourage harmful gender stereotypes. The ASA found that the promotions for 'Soulfun' breached rules on social responsibility due to their suggestive imagery and overt sexualisation, while the 'AI Chat Pal' advertisement was deemed to breach codes by explicitly promoting the creation of sexually objectifying images.

Both companies responsible for the advertisements, Hong Kong-based Soulfun and Shenzhen-based AI Chat Pal, were instructed not to permit similar content in the future. The ASA emphasised that the adverts were irresponsible and likely to cause harm, particularly given the emerging nature of AI technologies and their potential for misuse. This intervention underscores a regulatory push to curb the dissemination of harmful content associated with AI-driven platforms, particularly concerning gender representation.