There Won't Be Spam Ads in the Future – Thanks to AI
Let’s define spam ads: they’re the ads you didn’t ask for and don’t care about, but they still show up in your feed.
People are tired of seeing irrelevant ads. The old playbook—broad targeting, generic messages—doesn’t work anymore. To get someone’s attention today, you need to say something they actually care about. That means showing relevant messages to the right people, across the right channels.
The next logical step? Personalized marketing for everyone. Data providers are already gathering more intent data, and software will use that to generate ads and messages tailored to each person. Not just by audience segment—by individual.
This is already starting. Smarter companies are doing it now. The rest will catch up once they realize their marketing is falling flat. The answer will be obvious: more personalization.
And when that happens, even people who never buy from ads will start clicking, booking calls, and signing up—because the message will feel like it was made for them.
I also very rarely buy random stuff so it's not going to work. Saying you'll run a bot to do 24/7 psyops on me isn't appealing.
Why would I want ads that are "relevant"? Why would I want something hyper-targeting me to waste my money on consumerist BS? Why would I want something that works against what I think is virtuous (living simply, saving and investing, donating to causes I believe in)?
I'm just gonna block everything. Nobody's argument about "well akshually we need ads to support our service" is going to work on me anymore. I will actively feel good about the sabotaging the business model of someone who is actively trying to sabotage my character. Or just log off and move to a cabin in the woods maybe bc this sounds like hell.
I block every damn ad.
Advertising is a poison that demeans even love – and we're hooked on it [0]
This article is more than 13 years old
George Monbiot
[0] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/oct/24/advert...
Or AI is going to expand on what it's doing now, mass generate low-value content.
Every ad is spam. I do not want ads, never, anywhere. Content has no influence on this simple fact.
At a minimum, it knows I'm middle aged and have a family, and where I live.
And yet, this morning it adviced me to go to a youth-hostel-with-nightclub in my own city (via Google assistant or whatever the thing in android is called).
I can't imagine this is due to lack analytical/focusing capabilities that will be solved by AI, it's just that the interest of ad providers and ad buyers is clearly not aligned.