Meta Launches New Generative AI Tools to Enhance Advertising for Businesses

Meta has announced the rollout of its first generative AI features designed specifically for advertisers. This new suite of tools empowers brands to create backgrounds, expand images, and generate multiple variations of ad copy based on their original texts. This launch follows last week’s Meta Connect event, where the company unveiled its Quest 3 mixed-reality headset along with several generative AI products, such as editing tools and AI-powered stickers.

While these new advertising tools may not be as eye-catching as the celebrity AIs allowing users to interact with digital versions of personalities like MrBeast or Paris Hilton, they demonstrate Meta’s belief in the potential of generative AI to enhance advertising for the brands that contribute significantly to its revenue.

The first feature allows advertisers to personalize their creative assets by generating a variety of backgrounds to enhance their product images. This functionality mirrors the technology used in Meta’s consumer-oriented tool, Backdrop, which enables users to alter the background of images through prompts. In the advertising context, backgrounds are automatically generated based on the original product images and will generally consist of "simple backgrounds with colors and patterns," as explained by Meta. This tool is available to advertisers using the Advantage+ catalog for creating sales ads.

Another innovative feature is image expansion, which helps advertisers adapt their assets to fit various aspect ratios needed for different platforms, such as Feed or Reels. Also part of the Advantage+ creative in Meta’s Ads Manager, this AI capability is designed to reduce the time spent repurposing creative assets—including images and videos—across different surfaces.

Additionally, the text variations feature integrated into Meta Ads Manager can generate up to six different text options based on the advertiser's original copy. These variations can emphasize specific keywords or phrases the advertiser wishes to spotlight, and advertisers have the flexibility to edit the generated text or select those that align best with their branding goals. During campaigns, Meta may also display different text combinations to various audiences to determine the most effective versions. However, Meta currently provides performance insights based on a single ad rather than individual text variations, stating that selecting a greater number of options could enhance ad performance over time.

Tests conducted earlier this year with a small, diverse group of advertisers indicate that these AI tools can save them five hours or more weekly—potentially amounting to an entire month of labor saved in a year. Nevertheless, Meta acknowledges that further refinements are needed to tailor the generative AI outputs to better match individual advertiser styles.

Looking ahead, Meta plans to introduce additional AI features, including new methods for generating ad copy that emphasizes key selling points and creating customized backgrounds with specific themes. Additionally, as announced during Meta Connect, businesses will soon be able to utilize AI for messaging via WhatsApp and Messenger, facilitating customer interactions focused on e-commerce, engagement, and support.