Meta’s AI-driven ad tools are sparking growing frustration among marketers after several brands reported bizarre and inappropriate automated ads. The issue came to light when Bryan Cano, head of marketing at the men’s apparel brand True Classic, discovered that Meta’s AI had replaced his top-performing ad—a stylish, relatable image of a millennial man in a fleece set—with a surreal, AI-generated photo of a grinning elderly woman in an armchair. The ad, which targeted men aged 30 to 45, ran for three days before customers raised concerns. Cano expressed alarm not only over the misalignment with the brand’s image but also the potential damage to relationships with wholesale partners and retailers. This isn’t an isolated case. European footwear brand Kirruna faced a similar issue when Meta’s AI generated an ad featuring a model with a leg twisted in an unnatural, physically implausible way. Meanwhile, e-bike company Lectric had its AI-generated ad show a car seemingly flying through clouds, with the question “What are the easiest eBikes to put in my trunk?”—a jarring visual mismatch. Though Lectric caught the ad before it launched, the incident highlighted the risks of automated creative generation. The root of the problem lies in Meta’s “Advantage+ creative” suite, which includes automated features like image generation and dynamic ad adjustments. Many advertisers report that two key settings—“test new creative features” and “automatic adjustments”—are often enabled by default, even when manually turned off. Some, like Rok Hladnik of marketing agency Flat Circle, now dedicate up to an hour per account, multiple times a week, to manually verify that AI tools are disabled. Others, like Jonas Vonk of Yuzu Knives, have even built their own tools—AdsFlow—to make Meta’s hidden settings more transparent. Marketing consultant Pieter Van der Auwera, who manages Meta ads for Kirruna, noted that AI-generated ads have led to customer complaints and even refunds, as the ads misrepresented product materials. Despite Meta’s claim that advertisers can review generated content before launch, the process requires opening each ad preview individually, a time-consuming task when running hundreds of variations. Meta maintains that its Advantage+ tools deliver value, with millions of advertisers reporting improved performance. The company says users can review generated images and that it’s continuously refining its features based on feedback. However, many marketers feel the system lacks transparency and control, turning what was supposed to be a time-saving innovation into a source of added workload and reputational risk. Industry insiders warn that while AI has the potential to streamline ad creation, premature automation without sufficient oversight can backfire—especially when audiences detect artificial content. As brands grow wary of losing brand consistency and consumer trust, the demand for clearer controls and better transparency in AI-driven advertising tools is mounting.