The Intersection of AI, Brand Safety, and Sustainability in Ad Tech

Abby Versaggi, Assistant Programmatic Media Buyer

I recently attended Scope3’s inaugural Landscape conference in New York City, where I had the opportunity to explore not only Scope3’s new and potentially game-changing ad tech but also the key challenges facing our industry—brand safety, supply chain optimization, sustainability, and the evolving role of AI. Here are some of the top takeaways from the conference:

The key themes of the day were safety, sustainability, and growth, with a strong focus on implementation. If a new technology can’t be demonstrated, used, deployed, and mastered, it won’t be adopted effectively—making proper execution essential for industry-wide change.

The Challenges of Brand Safety in Programmatic Advertising 

Current brand safety tools have fallen short, and the industry—particularly in programmatic advertising—continues to struggle with transparency.

Sustainability, media quality, and brand safety are all interconnected. A lack of innovation has made it difficult for advertisers to access URL- or page-level data, creating significant challenges in transparency. 

AI-Powered Solutions for Brand Safety

Recognizing the need for a better approach to brand safety, Scope3 announced an AI-powered brand safety and suitability product. This new tool gives advertisers greater control over the content their ads appear on while reducing unnecessary content blocking.

We know AI uses a lot of energy to make decisions. So does the current digital advertising ecosystem, especially programmatic. The differences are:

1. We have the chance to develop AI systems with sustainability in mind, unlike how the programmatic ecosystem was developed. 
2. AI can also replace and streamline tech, as it is more forgiving of inconsistent data due to its ability to learn and model.

For example, blocklists and category filters have traditionally flagged keywords on a page without considering their context, often leading to the blocking of safe content. Scope3’s AI-powered brand safety agent addresses this by analyzing the full context of any piece of online content, ensuring that decisions align with a brand’s exact requirements. Advertisers can also provide feedback to refine the model over time.

Low-quality and Made-for-Advertising (MFA) sites host excessive low-value content and drive inefficient ad spend. With custom AI agents, advertisers can avoid bidding on these sites; therefore, reducing unnecessary energy consumption and wasted ad dollars. 

Custom AI Models For Greater Transparency

This new ad tech allows brands to build their own models based on their business goals, and criteria for brand suitability. It can be integrated into Demand-Side Platforms (DSPs) and Supply-Side Platforms (SSPs) to offer a more comprehensive view beyond just a site name. 

Additionally, it explains to advertisers and publishers why content was blocked and allows them to adjust parameters as needed. This helps solve the black box problem that many AIs face by making data-driven decisions more observable and understandable. 

AI’s Role in Sustainable Programmatic Advertising

If we don’t address the inefficiencies in programmatic advertising, we risk wasting millions of tons of carbon. AI has the opportunity to add to these emissions or counteract these inefficiencies. Scope3 has developed a way to do the latter, ensuring sustainable evolution of the programmatic landscape.