With annual expenditures exceeding one trillion dollars, the global advertising industry provides capital to numerous digital platforms that broadcast content of dubious reliability, the spread of which is amplified by the use of new technologies.
According to experts from the United Nations (UN), hate speech and disinformation are on the rise, while advertising revenue continues to fund online materials, regardless of their quality or accuracy.
A report from the organization, released in April 2026, confirmed that the uncontrolled adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in advertising is accelerating the risks described.
In order to maximize interest, enormous amounts of data are collected on users' preferences, relationships, behaviors, and consumption habits. "This model is now being recreated and scaled through AI assistants and chatbots," the text stated.
The longer people look at their smartphones, televisions, or other digital devices, the more ads they can be shown and the more revenue a digital platform generates, the report, titled "Strengthening Information Integrity: Advertising, Artificial Intelligence, and the Global Information Crisis," noted.
The scale at which attention is monetized is substantial. International advertising spending reached approximately $1.14 trillion last year. Advertising accounted for 75% of Google's $350 billion in revenue in 2024 and 98.6% of the $162.6 billion Meta is projected to earn in 2025, the report illustrated.
According to analysts, advertising is, in effect, the core business model of the largest technology companies. Without it, their business models would be unsustainable. However, the trillion-dollar advertising ecosystem is opaque, and this opacity is only increasing.
The problem lies not in scientific and technological advances themselves, but in their application. For example, the widespread integration of AI into critical information infrastructure, before viable alternatives or adequate safeguards exist, "creates structural dependencies that are difficult to reverse."
The United States alone accounts for approximately 45% of data centers worldwide, and Europe hosts another 15%, leaving most of the world dependent on infrastructure controlled by a small number of dominant players, the report noted.
Following the United Nations' conceptualization, the global information ecosystem is shaped by the actions of various actors, including governments, technology companies, media outlets, civil society, and individuals.
The integrity of this framework is "at a crisis point." There is a wide spectrum of threats, including disinformation, hate speech, restrictions on press freedom, and the malicious use of technology, the multilateral institution acknowledged.
"These dynamics are exacerbated by the use of AI to create and distribute false and hateful content on a massive scale, contributing to a broader erosion of trust in information sources," the 2026 report, prepared by the UN Department of Global Communications and the Conscious Advertising Network, emphasized.
According to Harriet Kingaby, a representative of the Network, brands are under pressure to advance their use of AI, but doing so without safeguards could undermine the very environments on which their marketing depends. "It’s not about stifling innovation," she stated, "but about ensuring that it works for both business and society."
The issue of advertising might seem like a surprising entry point for addressing these challenges, the authors of the report admitted. However, advertising is the dominant business model in the digital information ecosystem, funding all kinds of content, from pluralistic media and high-quality entertainment to hate speech and disinformation.
Some AI tools have incorporated design features considered "addictive, manipulative, or harmful to users." Advertisers who place their ads within these environments are, intentionally or not, providing the revenue that supports these choices, the study concluded.
Fostering cultural and intellectual regression appears to be a lucrative business for imperialism and its transnational corporations, but humanity can build and expand networks of critical and emancipatory thought, also utilizing disruptive technologies.
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