Written By: Rob Rasko, President, Brand Safety Summit Series

As I look around at the state of things in the brand safety world, I believe it is time to reframe, to expand, that conversation and make it a broader discussion about the state of Safety in Advertising —a more inclusive approach that still respects the principles we have always supported and yet extends the conversation to reflect the state of digital advertising as it undergoes another major shift with the revolutionary introduction of AI. Whereas Brand Safety is about complying with advertisers’ focus to see their ads and messages appear in certain contexts, with appropriate adjacencies, and watching for keywords and their limitations, Brand and AI Safety encompasses all elements of media–campaign placement, suitability, targeted audiences of interest, and performance. 

Brand Safety and AI Safety are distinct, yet they are intimately aligned, especially as the future unfolds. 

There is no question that AI will forever alter Brand Safety, and the pairing of Brand and AI Safety in advertising represents the dawn of a clear new set of conversations and challenges. Collectively, they are concerned with the present and the transformative issues that surround the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI), as it revolutionizes media buying and ad creation and distribution. It widens the lens to include various changes which will happen in the video landscape, including CTV and addressable TV, and added topics like cybersecurity.

The Evolution from Brand Safety to Brand and AI Safety

Ultimately, this is a conversational reset: not an abandonment of brand safety, but an expansion into a more effective, less divisive discussion framework—Brand and AI Safety—which better fits today’s digital, data-driven, AI-enhanced advertising landscape.

Among the main thematic drivers which remain paramount are:

 Key Pillars:

• Advertisers must retain the right to choose where and to whom they advertise
• Participation in discussion and this debate on Safety in Advertising is voluntary, commercially driven by individual companies’ competitive needs– and not driven only by “standards,” mandated or otherwise
• AI and the multiple innovations, as they reshape the future of media placement and content creation, present both risk and opportunity for the industry’s leaders. We want to help the industry think through both and then move from risk to opportunity.

Be on the lookout for specific AI Safety content at this year's Brand Safety Summit New York. A detailed agenda featuring leading industry voices is in the works and coming very soon.

We look forward to your continued support and partnership as we continue to do what we have become known for–and as we add new capabilities that reflect new marketplace dynamics.