Channel Factory’s Nico Greco: Brand Safety Rules Were ‘Designed For Human Authors,’ Not AI-Generated

Why It Matters

Because AI‑generated content can bypass outdated safety filters, brands that redesign their rules around core values will preserve reputation and unlock more efficient, value‑aligned media spend.

Key Takeaways

• Traditional brand safety rules target human creators, not AI content
• AI-generated “slop” overwhelms moderation, demanding new safety frameworks
• Brands must define core values before feeding signals into AI tools
• Programmatic buying optimizes cost, not identity; brands must override defaults
• Correct input signals train AI, preventing future strategy gaps

Summary

In a recent Channel Factory interview, Nico Greco warns that brand‑safety rules were built for human‑written content and are now ill‑suited to the flood of AI‑generated material saturating the internet.

He explains that “AI slop” – high‑volume, keyword‑rich copy produced at scale – overwhelms traditional moderation tools, leaving brands exposed to unsuitable placements. Greco argues that programmatic buying is inherently values‑agnostic, optimizing cost rather than brand identity, so marketers must first articulate true brand values and translate them into precise signals.

“The rules were designed for human authors, not AI,” he says, adding that without correct input signals, AI models will learn the wrong cues and widen strategic gaps. He cites the need to rewrite safety guidelines and to prioritize signal quality over KPI‑driven efficiency.

The takeaway for CMOs is clear: overhaul safety frameworks, embed brand‑value criteria into programmatic algorithms, and retain human oversight of AI tools. Doing so protects reputation, improves ad performance, and safeguards future AI investments.

Original Description

MIAMI — Traditional brand safety guidelines fail against artificial intelligence-generated content because existing tools and platforms cannot handle the volume and sophistication of machine-created material flooding digital environments.

“Brand safety rules, guidelines, everything that’s been broken out, has been designed for human authors. It’s all been designed for human creators,” Nico Greco, Channel Factory’s CRO, told Beet.TV contributor David Kaplan at POSSIBLE. “Now that there is this entire new influx coming in of AI generated content, none of these tools or anything was ever set up or established and designed to handle that level of inventory, that level of content.”

This reality forces brands to abandon existing safety frameworks and develop custom approaches that align with specific brand values rather than generic industry standards.

Suitability creates brand value beyond safety

Brand suitability has evolved from defensive positioning focused on avoiding wrong placements toward strategic advantage that drives performance through contextually appropriate environments.

“Being in front of the right places is actually not just about not being in front of the wrong places. It goes deeper than that and it really creates brand value,” Greco said. “If you can eliminate what is completely irrelevant, it’s going to give you more opportunity, more budget, more opportunity to really do what you wanted to do in the first place.”

This shift transforms safety from cost center toward revenue driver through improved campaign effectiveness.

Programmatic efficiency ignores brand identity

Algorithm optimization for efficiency metrics like cost and click-through rates overlooks brand values and identity considerations, requiring marketers to define deeper brand positioning before deploying automated systems.

“Any tool, platform, partner that I’m working with is always going to focus on that one thing, but there’s more to that. No brand is just a click-through rate,” Greco said. “We have to go deeper than that and understand what else matters to that brand. What is the right place? What’s the right environment?”

Better inputs from brand marketing strategy drive superior outputs across all automated optimization systems.

Signal quality determines AI success

Before implementing agentic AI systems, CMOs must establish proper signal foundations and brand identity frameworks because artificial intelligence learns from initial inputs to shape future decision-making patterns.

“You have to find the best signals before you can do anything else. If you have the proper signals in place, it’s going to train the AI models to continue to build and develop the way you want them to,” Greco said.

Poor signal quality creates compounding problems as AI systems learn incorrect patterns that widen strategic gaps over time.

“If you don’t have the right signals in place, “Greco said, “you’re going to be training all of your future AI tools on the wrong information and that’s going to learn and continue to build and create almost a wider strategy gap across the board.”