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The UK’s advertising watchdog has banned a YouTube advertisement for an artificial intelligence-powered video and image editing tool after complaints that it promoted the digital removal of a woman’s clothing. The commercial for PixVideo – AI Video Maker, which appeared in January, depicted a “before” and “after” image of a young woman. In the initial image, there was a red scribble obscuring her midriff, while the subsequent image appeared to reveal parts of her bare skin. Accompanying text on the ad read, “Erase anything,” followed by a heart-eyes emoji.
Following eight complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the ad was criticized for sexualizing and objectifying women. The complainants described the content as irresponsible, offensive, and harmful. The ASA clarified that it did not determine whether the image was of a real individual or artificially generated but focused on the implications of the advertisement’s message. Although PixVideo’s functionality does not actually allow users to remove clothing from images to create explicit content, the ASA was concerned that viewers might interpret the ad as endorsing such use.
In a statement, the regulator emphasized that the content of the advertisement suggested it condoned digitally altering and exposing women’s bodies without their consent. The ASA concluded that the advertisement was irresponsible, perpetuated damaging gender stereotypes, and was likely to cause serious offense. Responding to the ban, Saeta Tech, the company behind PixVideo, acknowledged the likelihood that the ad’s presentation offended viewers, but said that the issues related more to how the ad was framed than to the intended use of their product. The company also asserted that it prohibits creating nude or sexually explicit images and employs automated systems to detect and block such imagery.
Saeta Tech has agreed to withdraw the advertisement and paused all marketing activities while reviewing its approach internally. This incident comes amid wider concerns about AI tools capable of “declothing” women without consent. Earlier this year, the use of Elon Musk’s chatbot Grok to generate sexualized images led to a surge of public backlash. In response, the UK government announced plans in December to criminalize the creation and distribution of AI technologies that allow users to digitally remove clothing from images. These new legal measures are intended to complement existing legislation addressing sexually explicit deepfakes and intimate image abuse
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