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Raising the Bar: AI's Role in Responsible Regulation
The ASA has published the results of a trial to use AI to see if alcohol advertisers are complying with the CAP Code. Happily, the findings show that the overwhelming majority of alcohol advertisers are compliant. It also illustrates how AI can strengthen regulation and support responsible advertising.
The ASA's goal was to see whether AI could help it spot potential problems that traditional monitoring or public complaints might miss, while giving a clearer picture of overall compliance. It has been using AI for proactive monitoring since 2023, but this was the first time it had used it to check such a large volume of ads against a whole section of the advertising rules.
A Shot of Innovation
It analysed almost 6,000 paid-for ads shown to the UK public in early 2025, spanning alcoholic drinks, alcohol-free alternatives and related promotions across search, display and social media.
Each ad, including its text and imagery, was assessed by large language models. Ads flagged by the LLMs as being at risk of breaking the rules were then reviewed by the ASA's staff to see if the content flagged was indeed a likely breach.
On the Rocks
Around 96% of the ads it reviewed were likely to comply with the alcohol-specific advertising rules. The ASA says that only 1–3% appeared to break them. The remaining 1% needed further review.
The most frequent problems were:
- misleading or unauthorised health or nutritional claims;
- ads promoting irresponsible drinking; and
- content likely to have particular appeal to children.
All these issues were seen across ads by both large national hospitality chains and smaller advertisers, including independent venues.
Sober Reflections
Advertising by the alcohol-free sector raised more consistent concerns – around 48% of alcohol-free product ads were flagged for potential breaches. Almost all of these related to unclear or missing ABV labelling, an issue which can be easily rectified. But the ASA points out that it is an important requirement that matters for people who avoid alcohol altogether, including for health, religious or personal reasons.
It says that it will be contacting certain advertisers and publishing advice for the alcohol-free sector, particularly on ABV labelling.
Last Call
The trial is interesting for two reasons — the ASA's use of AI, and the findings that the industry is largely complying with the rules. Watch this space for more information about the guidance for the alcohol-free sector — the current guidance is here.
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