Last week we hosted the bi-annual GALA Global Conference in London, bringing together nearly 200 advertising lawyers from across the world. Our keynote kicked off with a fireside chat between Brinsley Dresden and Guy Parker from the ASA, and it quickly turned into a useful tour of what's top of mind for ad regulation right now: How are the platforms held to account? How will the self-regulatory system be funded in future as the take from the media levy diminishes? Who is accountable if AI is used in the creative process but produces misleading results? Are "mass complaints" really on the rise?

IPP and platforms: a bigger role in the ASA system

One of the big themes was the Intermediary and Platform Principles (IPP) framework, which Guy said will be finalized later this year. The focus is on social platforms and demand-side platforms. In practical terms, that's about making sure the CAP Code is front and centre for advertisers, reducing inappropriate targeting, and helping ASA decisions land more effectively in the online ecosystem.

The ASA has already piloted this approach and is now looking to formalise the principles and commitments. Guy mentioned there will be check-ins with signatories and some form of public reporting (the detail is still being worked through). The simple takeaway: better guardrails so the right ads reach the right people, and crucially, so ads for products like gambling and alcohol don't end up in front of under-18s.

Funding: keeping pace with how advertising works now

Guy also spoke candidly about funding. The ad market has changed dramatically, and the model designed around the ASBOF levy on traditional media is outdated as media spend has moved online. Platforms do contribute, but he suggested the biggest AI companies will likely need to be part of the conversation too. It's early days, but this is clearly an area to watch as the ASA looks at how to fund effective regulation in a digital-first world.

AI in ads: the 'computer says yes' defence won't wash

AI came up too (of course), particularly in the context of recent ASA rulings on AI-generated ads. Guy's message was straightforward: if you're the advertiser, you're responsible for what goes out the door. If the content hasn't been properly checked by a human, and it misleads consumers, "we used AI" won't get you very far. There was also a nice bit of symmetry here: the ASA's own AI-based ad-monitoring tools helped flag the problematic AI-generated ads - using AI to spot AI.

Mass complaints: not quite the flood people imagine

Finally, we talked about "mass complaints". Guy looked back to the point when the ASA's remit expanded to cover claims on advertisers' own websites, which triggered a wave of complaints that were effectively ready and waiting, such as about homeopathy. He said the ASA's approach of engaging directly with complainants helped bring volumes back down. More generally, he noted the ASA hasn't seen a significant overall increase in complaints recently, and hasn't seen a notable spike in complaints that look like they've been drafted using AI.

What else did we discuss?

After Guy's keynote, the conference covered a wide range of topics.

The first looked at tackling the practical legal and regulatory challenges of cross-border advertising campaigns, with a view from in-house counsel at leading brands and agencies. 

Next, we debated whether self-regulation is still a viable means for tackling today's global challenges for advertising with Guy Parter again, and representatives from the European Advertising Standards Alliance, the International Council for Advertising Self-Regulation and the International Chamber of Commerce. 

The third panel considered environmental advertising and asked whether the forces for ever greater regulation gone into reverse? And what are we expecting in the next few years? 

No conference would be complete without a panel on AI, and ours was no exception. The penultimate panel therefore brought together a panel of GALA lawyers to consider what happens when the use of AI in creativity meets compliance. 

And finally, the last panel looked at hot topics in global advertising, bringing together GALA lawyers from the USA, Colombia, India, the UAE, Poland, Germany and Mexico.

Thanks to all our moderators and panelists and to all the delegates who made the event such a great success!