Today, digital advertising screens in shopping centres, airports, on streets and in public transport broadcast dynamic content that adapts to weather, time of day, and even the demographics of the audience. And an increasing share of this content is created by artificial intelligence.

But is this always good for a brand? A new study by OM Media Trials and Zefr, covering nearly 5,000 respondents, showed that the answer depends on what kind of AI-generated content surrounds your advertisement. This pattern is particularly important for the Digital Out-of-Home market — a sector that is actively transforming under the influence of modern advertising technologies.

The DOOH market: figures that speak for themselves

Digital Out-of-Home is one of the most dynamic segments of the advertising industry. By various estimates, the global DOOH market volume in 2025 exceeded $20 billion, and by 2030–2034 it is expected to grow to $40–56 billion, with an average annual growth rate of between 10 and 12%.

Programmatic DOOH is growing even faster: in 2024, programmatic DOOH spending in the United States increased by 34% year on year. Already more than 70% of DOOH advertising budgets in North America pass through programmatic platforms. Modern advertising technologies have made possible what seemed like fantasy just a few years ago: advertisers are increasingly rarely selecting each individual screen manually — that is done for them by an algorithm that uses SSP and DSP for DOOH to find optimal inventory in real time.

In parallel, the role of artificial intelligence in content creation itself is growing. Around 45% of modern DOOH networks in major cities already use dynamic creative switching based on external signals: traffic, weather, time of day, events. This is precisely the AI-generated content alongside which brand advertising appears — and the brand doesn’t always know what is playing in the adjacent slot.

What “placing ads next to AI-generated content” means

In the context of digital signage and DOOH, this question stands differently than in the digital environment. On YouTube or in social media, a brand can set clear brand safety filters and block display before certain types of video. In DOOH — especially in programmatic buying — control over adjacent content is significantly more difficult.

Digital signage in a shopping centre can alternate clothing advertisements, news, entertainment content and promotional offers — all on the same screen, in successive slots. If the platform uses AI-generated multimedia content to fill the gaps between paid advertising, the brand is automatically placed in that context.

The OM Media Trials study showed that not all AI-generated content affects brand perception equally. Advertisements that appeared after AI-generated satire, artistic videos, or youth content were perceived positively — viewers associated such brands with the words “fresh” and “innovative.” Adjacency to spam or deepfakes of public figures, on the other hand, produced the opposite effect.

An important nuance: 32% of study participants were unable to distinguish content created by a human from AI-generated content. This means that a viewer on the street or in a shopping centre also far from always understands whether what they are seeing is an authored video or the product of a generative algorithm.

AI in DOOH: from threat to tool

It is important to distinguish between two different phenomena that are often confused:

AI as a content generator for digital screens — when a brand or network operator uses generative algorithms to create video materials, banners, and animations. This is already common practice: platforms such as Displayce and Adomni have integrated generative AI directly into the DOOH campaign planning workflow.

AI as the environment surrounding advertising — when the adjacent content on a screen or in a broadcast schedule is generated by an algorithm, and the advertiser finds themselves in that environment without any choice.

Both scenarios are already relevant for the digital advertising screen market. And in both cases, the key management tool is a CMS for content management and remote content management, which allow operators and advertisers to control not only their own materials, but also the overall broadcast context. It is precisely this combination of solutions that forms fully-fledged digital signage with artificial intelligence — where the screen doesn’t simply play content, but manages it in real time.

Personalised content and brand safety risks

One of the main advantages of modern programmatic DOOH is the ability to display personalised content for customers depending on context. Umbrella advertising launches when forecasters predict rain. A café’s breakfast menu promotion broadcasts exclusively in the morning. Sale announcements appear during peak footfall hours at a shopping centre.

This contextuality improves effectiveness: research shows that dynamic content and video content tied to real-world conditions increases advertising effectiveness by an average of 17% compared to static materials. Using full motion DOOH in combination with social media increases brand awareness by 23%.

But this is also where the downside appears. If the algorithm managing personalisation is also responsible for selecting adjacent content — and that content turns out to be low quality or controversial — the brand faces a brand safety problem without even being aware of it.

This is precisely why a new standard is now taking shape in the field of digital signage with artificial intelligence: a distinction between “beneficial AI” (which optimises display and generates high-quality creative) and “risky AI” (which fills airtime with cheap automated content lacking editorial control).

Visualisation of offers and events: where AI genuinely helps

The safest and most productive scenario for using AI in DOOH is the real-time visualisation of offers and events. A restaurant that automatically updates its menu on screen depending on what is available in the kitchen. A shopping centre promoting specific stores based on peak traffic in different zones. An event venue announcing upcoming events taking the current audience into account.

It is telling that precisely this format of content demonstrates the highest engagement metrics. According to research, digital displays with dynamic content increase advertising recall to 83% compared to static materials. This is no coincidence: when a viewer sees information on a screen that corresponds to their current context — weather, time of day, location — it is perceived not as advertising, but as a useful prompt.

In all these scenarios, AI-generated content is organic, useful, and directly connected to the viewer’s needs. It doesn’t simply fill screen time — it delivers specific value. It is precisely this approach that, according to Adweek research, viewers associate with a positive perception of a brand.

Transparency as a standard

The OM Media Trials study records an interesting pattern: 41% of respondents improved their attitude towards a brand when the AI-generated content adjacent to the advertisement was clearly labelled as algorithmically generated. This indicates that the audience does not reject AI as such — it rejects opacity.

It is also worth considering the scale of the phenomenon: according to Gartner forecasts, by 2030 up to 90% of internet content will be created with the help of AI. The DOOH market will be no exception — generative algorithms are already filling the broadcast schedules of digital networks. In this context, labelling AI-generated materials is becoming not merely a matter of ethics, but a fundamental element of trust between the screen operator, the advertiser, and the viewer.

For operators of digital advertising screens and for advertisers, this is a practical conclusion: labelling AI-generated content on screens can become not just an ethical standard, but a competitive advantage. Combined with high-quality editorial control through a CMS and remote content management systems — this is a complete brand safety strategy for the DOOH environment.

What this means for your DOOH strategy

The Digital Out-of-Home market is actively integrating artificial intelligence at every level: from campaign planning through SSP and DSP for DOOH to creative generation and dynamic broadcast management. This opens up new opportunities for personalisation and effectiveness — but at the same time raises questions that did not previously exist in this format.

If your advertising appears on digital signage as part of a programmatic buy, it is worth understanding: the adjacent content is shaped by an algorithm. How high is its quality? What impression does it make on the viewer immediately before and after your advertisement? These questions are already part of modern advertising technologies — and the answer to them directly affects the impact on offline sales and the overall effectiveness of a campaign.

Brands that understand this connection and build their strategy with the context surrounding their advertising in mind gain an advantage. Those who ignore it risk finding themselves in an environment that undermines trust in them — even if the advertising material itself is flawless.

Advision is a content management system for remote control, media planning of video and audio content broadcasting, and a supply-side platform for monetising advertising time. We also implement a Wi-Fi tracking system to measure quantitative indicators of the advertising audience. We help Digital Signage owners and DOOH advertising operators earn money from advertising, automate work processes, and build a reliable media infrastructure using AdTech and MarTech software solutions.

Contact us if you want to increase your profits and implement the latest technologies to solve your problems!