WAJD Learning

AI at work, by industry · Marketers, sales staff, social media managers, agency staff and small business owners

AI in marketing and sales: honest ads, real reviews and lawful outreach

The advertising rules apply however the ad was made. What that means for images, claims, reviews and messages.

  • 2modules
  • 1.5CPD hours
  • 90guided minutes
  • Freeto study

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About this course

AI writes the copy, generates the image, invents the testimonial and sends the message, all in an afternoon. The regulators' answer is simple and often missed: there are no AI specific advertising rules in the United Kingdom, because the existing rules apply however the content was made.

The Advertising Standards Authority has said so directly, and has set out when disclosing the use of AI matters and when it does not rescue a misleading ad. Fake reviews have been banned outright since 6 April 2025 under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, with the Competition and Markets Authority able to fine a business directly.

This course covers the claims and images you publish, the reviews you display, and the messages you send, with the rules on consent for electronic marketing and what an AI chatbot must tell a customer.

What you will be able to do

  • State that the advertising codes apply to AI generated ads
  • Apply the ASA's test for when AI use should be disclosed
  • Explain why disclosure does not rescue a misleading claim
  • Recognise when an AI image of a product or result is misleading
  • State the law on fake and incentivised reviews
  • Explain who is responsible for an ad made by a tool or an agency
  • Apply the consent rules to AI assisted email and text marketing
  • Say what a customer must be told when they are dealing with a chatbot

Modules

  1. 1 Honest ads, however they are made 45 min study · 3 min script · 5 question knowledge check
  2. 2 Reviews, outreach and chatbots 45 min study · 3 min script · 5 question knowledge check

Assessment and certificate

Knowledge check after each module and a final assessment at 80 per cent, with unlimited attempts.

A digital certificate, issued the moment you have passed and paid, showing 1.5 CPD hours with a verification code. It evidences knowledge of the rules that apply to AI assisted marketing. It is not a regulated qualification, it is not legal advice, and it is not endorsed by the Advertising Standards Authority or the Competition and Markets Authority.

Questions

Do I have to say an ad was made with AI?

There is no blanket rule. The ASA's test is whether the audience is likely to be misled if the use of AI is not disclosed. If the ad would mislead without it, disclose. But a disclosure does not rescue an ad that is misleading anyway.

Can I use AI to write customer reviews for my products?

No. Since 6 April 2025 it has been a banned practice to submit or commission fake consumer reviews, or to publish reviews in a misleading way. A review written by a tool on behalf of a customer who does not exist is fake.

My agency made the ad with an AI tool. Who is responsible?

You are, as the advertiser. The advertising codes hold the marketer responsible for the ad whoever or whatever produced it.

Can AI write my cold emails?

It can write them. Whether you can send them is a separate question. Electronic marketing to individuals needs consent or a narrow existing customer exemption, and AI does not change that.