How AI is reshaping Affiliate Marketing Compliance

AI has arguably become the most powerful tool in affiliate marketing in the past 5 years. For marketers, there hasn’t been a more cost-effective way to generate vast quantities of written content, data, videos, and creatives. According to recent research, more than 50% of published content is now AI-generated, and 74% of new web pages include AI content. Blog posts, website copy, and social media posts were identified as the most common forms of content containing AI.

This flurry of new digital AI content has caused significant challenges for brands that are using affiliate marketers to promote their products and services. The risk to brands has increased with the growth of AI-generated content, which is frequently published without being checked for accuracy.

Risks from affiliates publishing AI-generated content

Despite significant advances in AI, which have helped reduce the amount of hallucinated or incorrect information, there is still a large amount of inaccurate content being generated and published by affiliate marketers.

Many of the inaccuracies with unchecked AI-generated content will go unnoticed and is unlikely to cause harm. However, some published information can have much more damaging effects, causing consumers to be misled. This can be particularly harmful to brands working in regulated markets, where accuracy is critical.

Other challenges: Opaque and nuanced regulatory guidelines

The opaque and nuanced nature of regulator guidelines can often be misunderstood by AI tools, and therefore, some content ends up being non-compliant. It’s a multiplier effect when so many affiliates are producing vast quantities of AI-generated content, which is not always checked for accuracy.

Rightlander’s approach to AI content and how AI is assisting with compliance

The vast increase in AI-generated content has intensified the role Rightlander performs when monitoring content on behalf of its clients. In recent years, our teams have observed the steady growth of unchecked AI-generated content being published on the internet. 

In this fast-changing world of affiliate marketing, Rightlander is utilising AI to assist in the process of monitoring and detecting risky content for our clients. But AI models cannot be left to make significant compliance decisions on their own; ot needs a much more measured approach. 

Rightlander uses AI in affiliate marketing compliance where we can create measurable efficiency without compromising the accuracy, cost-effectiveness, or brand safety. We are constantly reviewing this process as AI continually improves and gains further capabilities.

AI in affiliate marketing compliance: Significant challenges

Rightlander founder Ian Sims was recently asked about the impact of allowing AI to make compliance decisions. His response was that it is possible, but comes with ‘significant risk’ and ‘big consequences’.

AI can not be left to make decisions on whether a piece of content is or isn’t compliant. Not yet, anyway. The potential harm from AI compliance tools misinterpreting content or making poor decisions is not in the interests of brands that have so much to lose if something goes wrong.

Where AI is transforming affiliate marketing compliance

AI is transforming affiliate marketing compliance in specific areas where it can provide genuine value without increased risk to brands. This could be learning from historical patterns, identifying key information on a page, and flagging content that will likely need reviewing. 

This is a common use for AI in other processes, where it is being deployed to assist humans, but not be the final decision maker. As a business we are aware of the benefits AI can bring to our services, which has led to developing an 'AI Risk Indicator'.

What is the Rightlander 'AI Risk Indicator'?

The ‘AI Risk Indicator’ identifies and prioritises affiliate marketers and specific content that requires faster human review. It improves operational efficiency by directing human reviewers to where compliance issues are most likely to occur.

Our 'AI Risk Indicator' does not override brand rulesets, ensuring that potentially non-compliant content is not missed. It has been developed using our years of experience in affiliate marketing compliance to harness the benefits of AI technology.

Rightlander navigating a path for AI in affiliate marketing compliance

Our teams have learned that AI needs to be introduced carefully and thoughtfully when it comes to affiliate marketing compliance. The challenge is great, as the scale of AI use in affiliate marketing outstrips human generated content, but that does not warrant ‘throwing caution to the wind’ with our approach.

AI can assist in many of the tasks we perform and is only getting better with each new update. Rightlander will use client feedback to continue developing our 'AI Risk Indicator' product and incorporate AI further into our systems without compromising the safety of the brands we work with.