Firms are turning to blockchain to fight an ad fraud problem AI is making worse
Google said it blocked or removed 8.3 billion ads in 2025 and suspended 24.9 million advertiser accounts, showing ad fraud has become industrial-scale. AI now helps both sides: Gemini can filter most policy-violating ads before they run, while fraudsters use generative AI to create fake ads, users, clicks, and devices. A response is emerging in blockchain-based verification. Hakuhodo, Tools for Humanity, and LG Electronics tested a “Human-Verified Ad Network” in Japan that served ads only to World ID-verified humans and logged every impression on LG’s blockchain, reporting higher click-through and lower bounce rates. Coinbase’s acquisition of Spindl points to another model: proving that an ad led to a real on-chain action through a verifiable attribution trail. These systems address different trust gaps: who saw the ad versus whether it caused a real outcome. Their adoption may grow where fraud risk is highest, but platform incentives, regulatory scrutiny, and the need to trust the verification layer remain major constraints.
