Santander UK released AI-generated social media ads to demonstrate how easy it is to make lifelike, believable AI content.
The company also shared new research showing that Brits are increasingly concerned about falling for an AI-generated ad. According to Santander, 74 percent of Brits were unable to identify an AI-generated ad. Only 8 percent said they felt confident in their ability to identify these ads on social media platforms.
The research was done by market research company Opinium Research, which collected data from 2,000 UK adults between 7 November and 11 November 2025.
Santander’s AI social media ads included an image of two padel bats on a court and an advertisement for a dog feeder, both of which were shared on Instagram.
Almost three-quarters (75 percent) of people could not tell the padel bats were AI-generated, and 71 percent were unable to tell the dog image was AI-generated, the financial services company shared.
Becoming More Vigilant
As the holiday season approaches, Brits are becoming more wary of these online scams. Santander’s research revealed that more than half (52 percent) of Brits are being more careful interacting with social media adverts this season as AI-generated content is on the rise. More than half (56 percent) also worry about family members falling victim to scam content.
“Generative AI has opened the floodgates to a new wave of highly convincing scams that can be almost impossible to spot at first glance.” said Chris Ainsley, Head of Fraud Risk Management, Santander UK. “As fraudsters become more sophisticated, it’s vital that people stay alert and think twice before engaging with adverts or offers that appear too good to be true.”
How to Avoid Being Tricked
The company included a list of signs to look out for to avoid being fooled by AI content. Offers that seem “too good to be true” is one of them – specifically advertisements that include phrases like “limited-time offer” or “free giveaway.” Other signs include image distortion (uneven patterns, uncanny facial features), strange website URLs (with misspellings of brand names or extra characters), and spelling or grammatical errors in the advert itself.
Santander encouraged users to verify the security of a website before entering any payment details. If the website address does not begin with “https://,” personal information may be at risk, the company shared.
