Disney brings AI ad creation to CTV, but quality concerns remain

The news: Disney began a closed beta for its Ad Creative Studio on Thursday, a tool within Disney Campaign Manager that uses multiple AI models to create video ads for connected TV (CTV) based on brand assets.

  • The tool is currently available for a select group of advertisers, who can upload logos, brand guidelines, product imagery, and prior creative assets to generate a CTV ad.
  • Ad Creative Studio can create multiple variations of CTV ads tailored to unique audiences, content types, geographies, and campaign goals.
  • The resource will be particularly useful for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), but will also help larger brands scale output without giving up control entirely.
  • Disney said there are already safeguards in place to protect brand image and voice while maintaining a level of human oversight.

The trend: CTV and media giants are making similar moves to simplify creative production and reduce the time required to develop ads.

  • Amazon’s Creative Agent is an AI-powered feature that generates streaming TV ads. The tool offers a conversational interface where advertisers can brainstorm, generate storyboards, and produce professional-quality video and display ads.
  • Meta offers genAI ad creation tools like its Advantage AI suite, which gives agencies and brands the ability to create UGC-style videos on Meta platforms. The company also offers an Image Animation feature that turns static images into Reels videos.
  • Google offers AI model Veo for image-to-video generation, along with tools like Asset Studio to help brands generate ad content, resize videos, and add automated voiceovers.

The risks: Ad creative studio is likely to simplify and streamline the campaign process while making CTV ads more accessible to SMBs. But that accessibility doesn’t come without risks.

  • AI ad creation tools are often faulty. Meta’s AI tools have produced ads that alter the marketed product or add nonsensical details, like a bike with two sets of handlebars.
  • Obviously AI-generated content raises the risk of consumer pushback. Consumers are increasingly hostile to AI-made media, with the percentage of US adults describing AI-generated works as “not real art” rising by 13% between 2023 and 2025, per Ipsos.
  • 65% of consumers are somewhat or very uncomfortable with AI-generated ads, according to 2024 EMARKETER/CivicScience research; only 12% of US adults in mid-2025 were more likely to buy products from brands if they knew AI was used in ads, per CivicScience.
  • Over 30% of consumers across age groups say that knowing an ad is AI-generated makes them less likely to choose a brand, per CivicScience.

What marketers should do: Simplicity shouldn’t come at the expense of quality. AI tools like Disney’s Ad Creative Studio will gain popularity as AI becomes ingrained in the ad creation process, but nascent and faulty offerings introduce brand safety risks.

Marketers should approach these tools with cautious curiosity until they demonstrate that they can consistently avoid inaccurate or brand-damaging outputs. Tighter quality assurance protocols before ad launch will be increasingly essential; brands must also maintain strict AI governance and avoid assuming that generated assets will always appear as intended.

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