AI and Creative for Meta Ads in 2025: A Definitive Guide
Advanced AI tools can now automate various (even all) aspects of ad creation, from copywriting to content length to the video itself, graphic design, and beyond, enabling a more efficient and effective creative creation process. But even if AI can make content FOR your brand… is this a best practice? That’s what we’re here to discuss (and something we’ve been discussing for months in the Foxwell Founders Membership).
AI-generated creative is no longer just a futuristic buzzword—it’s here, and Meta advertisers are already experimenting with it. But despite the hype, AI isn’t a plug-and-play solution for every aspect of ad creative (at least, not yet). If you’re running serious Meta budgets, you know that creative isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about performance. And that’s where AI still has limitations.
Must you be using AI in your ad creative to be profitable & successful in Meta ads in 2025? No
Will using AI in creative help you scale quantify of ad creatives in 2025? Absolutely yes.
Does quantity of ads directly correlate to high performing and winning creatives in 2025? Not necessarily, but it can help. Let’s dive in.
What is the current state of AI and ad creative?
In 2025, AI for creative is best at:
Still graphics/images – Tools like Midjourney, DALL·E, and Adobe Firefly can generate high-quality images that are useful for backgrounds, concept ideation, or filling gaps in creative libraries. Keep in mind that many AI creatives LOOK like AI creatives and customers/viewers can likely tell the difference between them. Consumers are becoming more aware of AI and subsequently less trusting of brands overall, so generally the less a creative LOOKS like AI, the better.
Small movements of products or subjects – AI-assisted motion (like subtle product rotations or looping animations) can add a bit of dynamism to static ads without needing a full-fledged video production. This is best with some existing assets that are not AI-generated.
Non-human content – AI does a great job generating abstract designs, futuristic concepts, and stylized graphics. However, when it comes to realistic human faces and body parts, it still struggles with consistency and believability.
The Fallacies of AI and Ad Creative
One of the biggest misconceptions is that AI can fully replace human creativity in ad production. While AI can streamline workflows and generate variations quickly, the idea that it can autonomously create high-performing Meta ads is still wishful thinking in 2025.
Here’s why:
AI doesn’t inherently understand brand identity – It can replicate styles, but it won’t intuitively grasp the nuances of your brand’s voice, messaging, or positioning. If you don’t actively guide it, you’ll end up with generic-looking assets that don’t convert.
Performance creative isn’t just about looking good – AI-generated visuals might be engaging, but that doesn’t mean they’ll drive clicks, conversions, or ROAS. The best-performing ads are informed by data, not just design trends, and AI isn’t great at reading between those lines yet.
AI lacks human-level emotional intelligence – Ads that resonate on a deeper level—whether through humor, relatability, or storytelling—still require human input. AI can generate ideas, but humans still need to refine them for maximum impact.
Where AI Fits into a High-Performing Creative Strategy
The best Meta advertisers today are using AI as a tool, not a replacement.
AI can be incredibly helpful for brainstorming, speeding up iteration cycles, and generating raw material for creative testing. But at the end of the day, top-performing ads still require a human touch—whether that’s fine-tuning AI-generated elements, ensuring messaging aligns with audience psychology, or making adjustments based on real-time performance data.
If you’re leveraging AI for ad creative in 2025, the real play isn’t just automation—it’s augmentation. The advertisers who figure out how to blend AI efficiency with human strategy and creativity will have a serious edge over the competition.
What types of brands & ad accounts should be using AI creative for Meta ads?
AI-driven ad creative is particularly beneficial for:
High-Volume Advertisers: Brands managing extensive product lines or running multiple campaigns can utilize AI to swiftly generate diverse ad creatives, ensuring each product or campaign receives tailored content.
Data-Rich Brands: Companies with substantial customer interaction data can leverage AI to analyze patterns and preferences, facilitating the creation of personalized and targeted ads.
Resource-Constrained Teams: Smaller teams or startups can employ AI tools to scale their creative output without proportionally increasing manpower, maintaining competitiveness in the market.
Brands looking for a starting point with creative: It’s okay to be starting out with few resources — we were all there once! If budgets and/or resources are limited, AI tools can be a great way to create additional content from scratch without the huge price tag. Consider getting professional product photos done by a cheaper but still great alternative to a full-fledged photoshoot (like with Soona), then use those images with AI to create additional variations.
Quality vs. Quantity of Meta ad creatives: Which is more important?
Quality: High-quality creatives resonate more with audiences, fostering engagement and conversion. AI aids in enhancing quality by analyzing successful design elements and audience preferences, enabling the creation of compelling visuals and copy.
Quantity: A higher volume of creatives allows for extensive A/B testing, audience segmentation, and reduced ad fatigue. AI facilitates the rapid production of multiple ad variants, ensuring continuous optimization and freshness in campaigns.
Striking a balance between quality and quantity is crucial. AI enables the production of numerous high-quality creatives, allowing brands to test and iterate efficiently, ultimately leading to more effective Meta ad campaigns.
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We had AI write about the future of AI and ad creative, and here’s what it says… and we agree:
The Future of AI and Meta Ad Creative
The trajectory of AI in Meta ad creative points toward:
Hyper-Personalization: AI will enable ads to adapt in real-time to individual user behaviors and preferences, delivering highly personalized content that enhances user experience and conversion rates.
Predictive Analytics: AI will forecast trends and consumer behaviors, allowing brands to proactively tailor their creatives to emerging preferences, staying ahead of the competition.
Voice and Visual Search Optimization: As voice and visual search become more prevalent, AI will assist in creating ad creatives optimized for these modalities, ensuring brands remain accessible and relevant.
Action Items for Integrating AI into Meta Ad Creative
Assess Your Data: Evaluate the volume and quality of your customer interaction data to identify opportunities for AI-driven personalization.
Select Appropriate AI Tools: Choose AI platforms that align with your brand's needs. Learn more deeply about what they do and how they integrate AI and ensure it aligns with what your brand needs.
Invest in Team Training: Equip your marketing team with the necessary skills to effectively utilize AI tools, ensuring seamless integration into your creative processes.
Start with Pilot Projects: Implement AI in a limited scope to measure its impact on your ad performance, allowing for adjustments before full-scale deployment.
Monitor and Iterate: Continuously analyze the performance of AI-generated creatives, using insights to refine strategies and maximize ROI.
AI creative tools currently available:
Huge shout out to Akvile DeFazio at AKvertise (a great human, ad buyer, and Foxwell Founder member) for her input on this (non-comprehensive) list — AI tools are popping up every day, so these aren’t ALL of them, but some of the ones that we and other ad buyers are using.
Ad Copy AI Tools
Jasper.ai: a writing assistant tool that can help compose copy, improve writing, and more. It’s particularly helpful in writing ad copy, headlines, and landing page copy. We’ve also found it incredibly helpful in improving reporting summary and email content.
copy.ai: a marketing copy tool that can assist in generating high-quality ad copy for your ads.
Writesonic: a writing, copy-writing, and paraphrasing tool that can be used to generate ad copy for Meta Ads.
wordtune: a copy tool that can help improve or rewrite ad copy, along with its other writing assistant features.
Meta Ads: in the ad level, Meta has an AI powered text variation suggestion option for ad copy. Input a piece of copy for your ad and see the other variations it creates for you to use. To use them, click the “+” button next to the line of copy and edit if desired before publishing as seen below.
Creative AI Tools:
Metai.ai: We asked Meta.ai itself to define what it is for a group of expert ad buyers, and it said: “Meta AI is a significant development that can enhance your ad campaigns and strategies.” It continued:
How Can Meta AI Benefit Expert Ad Buyers?
As expert ad buyers, you can leverage Meta AI in several ways:
Streamline Campaign Optimization: Meta AI can help analyze campaign performance, identify areas for improvement, and provide data-driven recommendations for optimization.
Enhance Ad Creative: Meta AI can assist in generating ad creative ideas, such as images, videos, and copy, tailored to specific target audiences and campaign goals.
Improve Targeting and Segmentation: Meta AI can help analyze audience data, identify new targeting opportunities, and provide recommendations for segmenting audiences for more effective ad delivery.
Stay Up-to-Date with Meta's Latest Features and Best Practices: Meta AI can provide expert guidance on Meta's latest ad platform features, best practices, and policy updates, ensuring you stay ahead of the curve.
How to Leverage Meta AI in Your Ad Buying Strategies?
To get the most out of Meta AI, consider the following:
Experiment with Meta AI-Powered Ad Creative: Use Meta AI-generated ad creative to test new approaches and measure performance.
Integrate Meta AI into Your Campaign Optimization Workflow: Use Meta AI's analysis and recommendations to inform campaign optimization decisions.
Collaborate with Meta AI to Refine Targeting and Segmentation: Work with Meta AI to identify new targeting opportunities and refine audience segmentation.
Stay Informed with Meta AI's Expert Guidance: Regularly consult with Meta AI to stay up-to-date with Meta's latest features, best practices, and policy updates.
By embracing Meta AI, you can unlock new opportunities to enhance your ad campaigns, improve performance, and drive business growth.
Meta also tends to give preference to early adoption of their new tools or optimizations, so it’s a very easy hypothesis that using creatives developed by Meta.ai could have an increased lift over other creatives
Image AI Tools
Midjourney: Use natural language prompts to generate images, including realistic human ones for more refined advertising creatives.
Canva > ChatGPT: if you have a ChatGPT Plus (GPT-4) account, connect Canva as a plugin to create images for ads. This can help make your creative generation time faster and more efficient so you can get the desired creative much quicker.
AdCreative.ai: creates compelling ads that drive sales with AI-generated copy for headlines and descriptions. Generate captivating creatives and gain valuable insights. Try it out with a free trial.
Craiyon: text to image creator that generates images, drawings, photos, and art that can be used in ads.
pencil: an ecommerce creative (image and video) generating tool that also offers predictions, editing, ad insights, and more.
Videos
Descript: A video editing tool that has applicable AI effects such as eye contact correction that makes it look like the person in the video is looking directly into the camera in your video ads, even if they are readings something off-camera. Additionally, they have filler word removers that takes out ahs, ums, and other filler words, offers green screen effects, and background noise removal through their technology.
runway: use text prompts to generate videos for ads. No visual assets required, only prompts.
lumen5: use their AI to quickly create video ads by repurposing other marketing content, such as blogs, other videos, and more.
Capsule: is an AI-powered video editor for enterprise content and marketing teams, which can assist with video ads if you work with larger brands and at larger advertising agencies.
GhostCut: is an AI video editor designed to effortlessly eliminate text and subtitles, simplifying the repurposing of user-generated content. Additionally, it offers tools to refresh your video with new versions, translation capabilities, and dubbing features.
Icon.me: Calls itself the AI Admaker and is a tool that uses existing video and image content from a brand to create net-new mashups and video edits to be used for digital ads. Think if CapCut combined with ChatGPT and was still in its infancy. On its website, Icon says: “Icon starts by looking at your video library & tagging scenes (e.g. "sofa," "unboxing"). These scenes become reusable clips used as lego blocks for making ads. From there, just enter ideas into AdGPT (ChatGPT for ads) to generate ads with perfectly matching clips for every scene. AdGPT gets your ads 80-99% complete. Make edits with AdCut (CapCut for ads) or prompt AdGPT until you're happy. 3-person creative teams make 30 ads per month. With Icon, they make 300 (& get more winners).
Elevenlabs.io: Used primarily for AI voiceover in ad creative, or can be used for any other AI/audio needs
Research and Inspiration AI Tools
AdScan.ai: provides ad analysis and feedback (pros/cons) for Meta Ads, YouTube Ads, and TikTok Ads. With their feedback feature, it can inspire future variations of your creatives so you can update and test them to see if they in fact, can perform better. This tool also has transcriptions features, spend data (currently only in the EU but check back to see other expansions), and an option to save ads so you can easily refer to them. With this tool, you can see how it assess yours or other brands ads, how much certain brands are spending on certain ads, and can help reveal winning ads.
Reporting AI Tools
Julius.ai: analyze data, solve math, make graphs, and use its AI to find facts in your data.
Rows: create spreadsheets, build interactive dashboards, apply conditional formatting, utilize AI for data summarization, classification, translation, content generation, and more.
vizGPT: an insight tool that can quickly visualize your data and provide analysis.