Thailand has taken a significant step toward regulating how artificial intelligence is used in commercial advertising. The Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) has issued a formal notification under the Consumer Protection Act that sets out clear rules for businesses using AI-generated or AI-manipulated content in their marketing materials. Whether you run a small online shop or manage a major brand’s advertising campaigns, understanding these new requirements is essential to staying compliant in 2026.
What Has Changed? Thailand’s OCPB Steps In
The Consumer Protection Act B.E. 2522 (1979) has long been the backbone of consumer protection law in Thailand. The Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB)—the body responsible for enforcing this legislation—has now extended its reach into the world of AI-driven advertising by issuing guidelines that directly address how businesses must handle AI-generated images, videos, and other promotional content.
These guidelines are already in force. There is no grace period to wait for—businesses operating in Thailand must already be in compliance.
The Core Requirement: Mandatory AI Disclosure Labels
The heart of the new rules is a disclosure requirement. Whenever a business uses AI to generate or significantly edit images or video content for advertising purposes, that content must carry a clearly visible disclosure label. The OCPB has set out specific approved wording for these labels, including:
- “Real image or simulation edited using AI”
- “Photo from actual location or simulation edited using AI”
- “Photo from actual product or edited simulation”
- “Image created by AI”
- “Video created by AI”
The choice of label depends on the nature of the content—whether it shows a real product, a real location, or is entirely AI-generated. Businesses must select the most accurate label for each piece of content.
Importantly, these disclosures must be “clearly visible, audible, or readable” depending on the medium used. A label buried in fine print or shown for only a fraction of a second would not meet this standard.
Accuracy and Prior Authorization Requirements
Beyond disclosure, the new guidelines also require that all advertised information accurately reflects the actual product or service. This means that the size, quantity, volume, number, or composition of what is shown in an AI-generated advertisement must match what the customer will actually receive.
Where existing laws require prior regulatory approval for certain categories of advertising—such as for health products, financial services, or real estate—that requirement remains fully in place alongside the new AI disclosure rules. AI-generated content does not create any exemption from existing authorization obligations.
Which Businesses Are Affected?
Any business that uses AI tools to create or edit advertising materials for the Thai market could fall within the scope of these guidelines. This is broader than many companies may initially assume. Modern marketing workflows frequently incorporate AI-assisted image editing, AI-generated product visualizations, or AI-created video content—even if the final result looks realistic and is not obviously “artificial.”
Businesses should not assume that only fully AI-generated content is covered. The rules apply equally to images and videos that have been partially edited or enhanced using AI tools.
For foreign companies doing business in Thailand, understanding both these new rules and the broader legal framework is essential. Our guide to the Foreign Business Act Thailand 2026 outlines the wider regulatory environment for companies operating in the Thai market.
Practical Compliance Steps for Advertisers
Given that these rules are already in effect, businesses should move quickly to assess their current practices and make any necessary adjustments.
Audit Your Current Advertising Content
Go through your active campaigns and identify any materials that use AI-generated or AI-edited images or videos. Determine which disclosure label applies to each piece of content.
Update Your Internal Workflows
Make AI disclosure a mandatory step in your creative approval process. Every piece of advertising content that uses AI should be reviewed for compliance before it goes live.
Review Contracts With Agencies and Suppliers
If you work with external marketing agencies, graphic designers, or content creators, ensure that your contracts require them to flag AI-generated content and apply appropriate disclosures. Legal ownership and compliance responsibility for advertising content can also intersect with intellectual property considerations—our overview of copyright law in Thailand provides useful background on these issues.
Train Your Marketing Team
Make sure everyone involved in creating or approving advertising materials understands what counts as AI-generated or AI-edited content and what disclosures are required.
Establish a Monitoring Process
Thailand’s AI regulatory landscape is evolving rapidly. Staying updated on new guidance from the OCPB and other relevant bodies—including the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES)—is essential for ongoing compliance.
Brand Protection in the AI Era
As AI tools become more powerful and more widely used in marketing, the risk of brand-related legal issues also increases. AI-generated content that misrepresents a product or uses elements that resemble another brand’s trademarks could expose businesses to liability under both consumer protection law and intellectual property law. Ensuring that your AI advertising practices are legally sound is part of a broader brand protection strategy—one that starts with solid trademark registration in Thailand.
Thailand’s Broader AI Regulatory Direction
The OCPB’s advertising guidelines are not an isolated development. They reflect a broader push by the Thai government to establish a regulatory framework for AI across multiple sectors. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) has been working on Thailand’s national digital and technology strategy, and regulatory activity in areas such as data protection, digital platforms, and AI ethics is expected to continue.
For businesses, this means that AI compliance is not a one-time exercise. Companies should treat these new advertising rules as the beginning of an ongoing compliance journey, not a box to check once and forget.
Frequently Asked Questions About Thailand AI Advertising Regulations
The Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) is the Thai government body responsible for enforcing the Consumer Protection Act B.E. 2522 (1979). Its mandate includes overseeing advertising to ensure that consumers are not misled or deceived by false or inaccurate claims. The new AI advertising guidelines fall within this existing mandate.
The guidelines apply to advertising that uses AI-generated or AI-edited images and video content. They cover a wide range of advertising media, including digital advertising, social media marketing, print, and television. The key trigger is whether AI has been used to generate or significantly alter visual content.
Failure to comply with the Consumer Protection Act and the OCPB’s guidelines can result in enforcement action, including fines and orders to remove non-compliant advertising. In serious cases, criminal liability is also possible under Thai consumer protection law.
No. The OCPB has specified a list of approved disclosure phrases, and businesses must use one of these. The label must also be clearly visible, audible, or readable depending on the type of advertising medium being used.
The new guidelines do not introduce a general government approval requirement for AI-generated advertising. However, where prior regulatory authorization is already required by law—for example, for health product advertising—those existing requirements continue to apply alongside the new disclosure rules.
The guidelines focus on AI editing and generation of images and videos in a way that could affect how the product or service is perceived. Minor technical enhancements may not trigger the disclosure requirement, but businesses should assess each case carefully, particularly where AI tools are used to make products look more appealing than they actually are.
Foreign businesses with advertising activities in Thailand should urgently review their current campaigns, identify any AI-generated or AI-edited content, and ensure appropriate disclosure labels are in place. Seeking legal advice from a Thailand-based law firm with expertise in consumer protection and advertising law is strongly recommended.
How Lex Bangkok Can Help
Navigating Thailand’s evolving regulatory landscape—especially in fast-moving areas like AI and advertising law—requires up-to-date legal knowledge and practical experience. At Lex Bangkok, we help businesses operating in Thailand understand their legal obligations and put compliant processes in place.
Whether you need a review of your advertising materials, advice on consumer protection compliance, or guidance on Thailand’s broader AI regulatory framework, our team is here to help.