A run of AI-generated TikTok ads promoting National Trust membership has led the charity to suspend its advertising on the platform.
The videos attracted attention not only because they looked obviously artificial, but because they seemed far removed from the organization's usual brand — and, according to the National Trust, were never supposed to go live.
Here's what to know
In a response posted on LinkedIn, the National Trust said an automated TikTok Ads feature had produced the ads by mistake, writing, "This was an automated feature from TikTok Ads which produced AI-generated adverts in error. We've now paused all our TikTok ads while we investigate how this happened."
As Civil Society reported, a National Trust spokesperson said the group is "working directly with TikTok to understand how this occurred and to put additional safeguards in place to prevent it happening again." Campaigns will remain paused while the investigation continues.
Marketers were among those who criticized the ads, arguing that the creative style felt out of step with the charity's identity. Charlotte Anstee, digital marketing executive at Ocean, wrote on LinkedIn that the ads sat awkwardly alongside the National Trust's climate campaigning.
Anstee also said, "I'm not sure how this slipped through, as the social team is so fab, and those who run their localised individual accounts had previously been told by head office that there is an AI ban."
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More background
Critics were less bothered by the idea of experimentation than by the contrast between AI-made imagery and an organization known for protecting real landscapes, historic buildings, and outdoor spaces.
Civil Society noted that Alex Pollard, managing director of Pollard Media, said the episode was especially odd given that the National Trust has "one of the country's finest photo libraries, thousands of genuinely beautiful, real places they look after." He added, "It's become apparent that this wasn't a creative decision by the National Trust team, but a perfect example of the TikTok ads feature catching out brands at the moment with automated ads they weren't expecting."
The episode also highlights AI's growing role in everyday business tools. Automated systems can shape what people see online — sometimes before brands, nonprofits, or the public fully understand how those tools work.
What's being done?
As an immediate step, the National Trust stopped all TikTok advertising connected to its account. The goal is to prevent any more AI-generated material from appearing while the charity and TikTok look into the incident.
The organization also said it is working directly with TikTok to prevent automated creative tools from publishing unwanted material again.
Outside experts also pointed to a more specific technical fix. As reported by Civil Society, Antler Social co-founder Harri Brown said advertisers using TikTok's paid business platform can avoid unexpected AI-generated ads by turning off the "auto-add newly generated assets during delivery" setting.
Brown said users who discover unexpected AI assets in an ad group can also delete them manually: "If you've opened your ad group and seen a bunch of AI generated assets, don't worry — you can turn them off/delete them. Just click the drop down toggle on your ad and it'll show you the variations that have been made without you realising."
"People are getting more and more savvy as to what AI looks like, and if you are a values-led brand like this, it's never worth cutting corners," Anstee said.
Where can I learn more?
These stories explore how brands use AI in advertising and online promotion — and the pushback that can follow.
• In Saudi Arabia, Coca-Cola's AI-powered marketing agent raised concerns about digital surveillance.
• Brands are now proving ads weren't AI-made as consumers grow more skeptical online.
• An AI startup drew criticism when its dystopian ad campaign unsettled viewers online.
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