We recently saw a TikTok from musician @astro_nina, who claimed that Google’s AI incorrectly stated that Paramore, Avril Lavigne and Nine Inch Nails were performing in New York City, rather than it being a ‘covers’ night at a dive bar, which resulted in fans being scammed by ticket touts for thousands of dollars. We can’t verify these claims, as our internet sleuths can’t find any other mention of this on the profiles of the musicians or the venue, but it piqued our curiosity in exploring how poor quality AI suggestions are causing a Complicated, Downward Spiral of Business Misery for marketers in the music industry.

AI-generated advertising tools are having a big moment right now, with META, Google and other top platforms introducing enhancement and creative tools to help with campaigns. Whilst this can be a huge opportunity, it also comes with a sizeable potential risk. This is most keenly seen in how these systems handle facts, and increasingly, we are seeing direct examples of AI-generated misinformation across our tests in digital campaigns, often with the automated ‘enhancement’ functions.

These systems are built and instructed to optimise engagement and conversions, whatever the cost, but with this comes the risk that they ‘reshape’ information to make the sale. Exaggerating claims, misrepresenting context, or even fabricating details have all been witnessed. What starts as an innocent attempt to improve performance can quickly turn into misinformation that misleads audiences and breaks trust.

When performance is looked at as the priority, incorrect information can drive sales in the short term, but it does so at the cost of authenticity, and unfortunately, in some extreme cases, it can lead to real-world harm, such as scams and reputational damage.

As digital advertisers ourselves and deep in the META and Google ad jungle on a daily basis, we often see these AI suggestions integrated into advertising platforms, and they are often presented with statistics such as “turning this on could improve results by 30%. However, we often find ourselves turning AI off, as it can be incredibly prone to errors, and producing low-quality creative content.

While simple text changes and variations along the lines of “This will be the biggest night ever, you don’t want to miss it,” and personalising the message for each person are a great use of generative content, what this incident does is show how AI tools can reshape facts to drive sales, no matter the actual context or product.

We have also run our own small-scale experiments on META and Google, and have found that the Text enhancements can sometimes create false concert dates (“19th July” rather than the correct date of “20th July”), add urgency (THIS WEEKEND ONLY, when actually it’s next month) or even give false facts (“Last year 10,000 people showed up to Stockhausen’s Solo Für Melodie-Instrument Mit Rückkopplung”).

We believe that clarity, authenticity, and quality matter more than ever. Here are the things we implement as an agency:

Honest storytelling: Use data, give real context, don’t rely solely on the automated hype to push sales.

Educate clients (like this blog): Make sure clients understand that AI tools may help with scale, but they also bring risks (misleading claims, damaged reputation if promises don’t hold).

Audit copy & claims: When an AI tool generates ticketing copy, review it. Is it “true”? Is it verifiable? Does it create a trusted brand rather than just a quick sale? And if you can’t easily review the said text, as it is an automatic feature, is it worth the risk?

Build buyer trust: In an era of AI-driven urgency messages, trust becomes a differentiator. If your brand says it will deliver something, and you follow through on the expectation, you stand out.

Use your art: Sure, it can be much easier to ask AI to create an image or video for you to use in marketing, but if you believe in the quality of the music you are creating, you should be using this at the core of your advertising assets. Will an AI-generated image be representative of the quality of your music? 

AI, at its core, is not built for selling arts events, but it is built for creating a conversion, which is what it will always strive for, no matter what. And with that come some risks and factors that are in play, compared to other industries and products. AI brings efficiency, reach and customisation, but without human input, oversight and ethical guardrails, it can create “facts” that work as sales triggers rather than actual representations.

We know the digital world moves fast, with a lot of noise! If you need further help or consulting, please get in touch at hello@wildkatpr.com. We’ll be happy to connect!