Want to stop AI from rewriting your creatives on Facebook and Instagram? Here’s the fast path: turn off Meta Advantage+ ads at both the account and ad levels, review the “test new creative features” and “automatic adjustments” boxes, and double-check every preview before launch. Build a weekly audit to make sure the toggles don’t switch back on. Marketers are seeing odd and sometimes embarrassing AI edits slip into live campaigns. In recent weeks, brands reported a cheerful AI grandma replacing a menswear model, a shoe ad with a backward leg, and a car trunk soaring through clouds. These came from automated creative options inside Meta’s Advantage+ tools. You can prevent surprises like these with a simple process that shows you where to find the switches, how to review assets, and how to keep control over brand safety and budget.

Why AI keeps changing your ads

Meta’s Advantage+ creative features aim to improve performance by automatically generating or altering ad assets. These tools can crop images, swap backgrounds, add text variations, insert music for Reels, and create fresh versions of your visuals. Meta says many advertisers see better results when they use these tools and that there is a preview flow before launch. But several advertisers have run into issues:

Two account-level boxes — “test new creative features” and “automatic adjustments” — can enable AI changes by default.

Some report that these toggles turn back on after they were disabled.

In large campaigns with hundreds of variants, it is easy to miss a single odd preview.

AI edits can misrepresent products (materials, colors, shapes) or produce uncanny images that hurt trust.

If your brand uses tight style rules, regulated claims, or retail partner approvals, automated changes can break guidelines or create extra customer service work. The fix is to review settings and disable what you do not want, then build a habit of checking that those settings stay off.

How to turn off Meta Advantage+ ads (step by step)

You need to disable automated creative at two levels: account and campaign/ad. The exact labels may vary as Meta updates the interface, so move slowly and review every section.

Step 1: Check account-level toggles

Start with the broad switches that can impact every campaign.

Open Meta Ads Manager. Go to your ad account settings.

Look for options similar to “test new creative features.” Turn this off if you do not want Meta to apply new creative tools without explicit approval.

Find “automatic adjustments” or “automatically apply” settings. Turn off items that change your creatives, text, or placements without review.

Save changes. Note the date and time in your team log.

Tip: Screenshot your settings. If anything turns back on later, you have a record for support and for your internal QA.

Step 2: Disable Advantage+ creative at the ad level

This is where most visual edits happen.

In Ads Manager, find your campaign, open an ad, and click Edit.

Locate the Advantage+ creative section. It may show options like “Standard enhancements,” “Image expansion,” “Optimize text,” “Music for Reels,” “Video enhancements,” or “Backgrounds.”

Turn off each toggle that allows automatic changes to your media or text. Confirm any pop-ups that ask you to proceed without enhancements.

If you use multiple ads, repeat the process for each one.

Tip: If you need to test AI changes, duplicate the ad and keep the AI version in a separate A/B test, not in your main flight.

Step 3: Review ad set and campaign settings

Other switches can shift your delivery in ways you may not expect.

At the ad set level, check for automatic optimization toggles that expand audiences or placements without your approval. These are not strictly creative, but they can alter context and performance.

At the campaign level, confirm you are not using a format that forces AI-only assets unless you plan to test it.

Review brand safety settings and inventory filters to avoid mismatched contexts.

Step 4: Confirm previews for every placement

Even with enhancements off, final previews can differ by placement.

Click through previews for Feed, Stories, Reels, and other placements.

Check image crops, aspect ratios, text wrapping, and CTAs.

Make sure any dynamic fields (price, product name) render correctly.

Step 5: Publish, then re-check

Some issues appear only after changes propagate.

After publishing, wait a few minutes and re-open the ads to confirm toggles remain off.

Spot-check live delivery with the “View variations” or “See ad” link where available.

Log everything. Make a simple checklist your team can follow each time.

A 10-minute weekly audit to keep AI from switching back on

Do a brief check two or three times a week if you spend heavily on Meta. This habit reduces risk and catches any unexpected changes fast.

Account settings: Confirm “test new creative features” is off. Confirm “automatic adjustments” is off.

Campaigns: Open each active campaign and scan for any “Recommendations” that include auto-apply suggestions. Decline anything that would change assets automatically.

Ad sets: Check placements and audience expansion toggles.

Ads: Open a random sample of ads per campaign (at least 10% of active ads). Verify that Advantage+ creative options remain off.

Previews: For each sampled ad, view previews across Feed, Stories, and Reels. Look for odd crops, added effects, or text shifts.

Performance anomalies: Watch for sudden swings in CTR, CVR, or negative feedback. Investigate before scaling.

If anything has turned back on, switch it off, document it, and consider contacting support, especially if you can show screenshots of prior settings.

Quality control before launch

Use this short checklist every time you publish or duplicate ads.

Brand visuals: Faces, hands, and product details look natural. No distorted limbs, melted text, or surreal backgrounds.

Product truth: Materials, colors, sizes, and features match your actual product. No AI “improvements” that could mislead buyers.

Claims: Ad copy matches legal and compliance rules. No added superlatives you did not approve.

Retail partners: If you sell wholesale, confirm that imagery and pricing align with partner expectations.

Accessibility: Captions and alt text (if used) are accurate and readable.

Competitor risk: No lookalike assets that could trigger complaints.

When AI can help — and how to test it safely

You do not need to reject automation entirely. You just need guardrails.

Start with a sandbox test. Duplicate your best manual ad. In the copy, enable one AI feature (for example, image expansion only). Keep budget small and measure lift.

Use clear success criteria. Decide in advance what counts as “better” (for example, 10% lower CPA over 7 days at the same spend).

Avoid mixing variables. Do not turn on every AI toggle at once. Test one at a time so you can attribute results.

Keep sensitive assets manual. Regulated categories, strict brand visuals, or retail co-op ads should remain locked to approved creatives.

If a single AI enhancement proves reliable, add it as a controlled lever. If results vary or quality slips, keep it off.

Lessons from recent mishaps

A few real-world cases show why control matters:

A menswear brand saw its top ad replaced by an AI-made grandmother image. The team targets men 30–45, so the swap hurt relevance and risked brand trust.

A European shoe ad displayed a model with a twisted leg. Even if the boot looked right, the image drove the wrong kind of attention.

An e-bike brand caught an AI-generated image of a car trunk flying in the clouds and blocked it before launch.

Agencies managing large budgets now spend time each week verifying that enhancements stay off, as some toggles re-enable themselves.

Each story underlines two points: previews alone are not enough when you run many variants, and you must control the switches that let AI change your message.

Smart ways to scale without risky automation

Try these methods to increase creative output while keeping quality high.

Build a lightweight creative system. Use a few fixed templates for Feed, Stories, and Reels. Lock fonts, colors, and safe crop zones.

Use manual variations. Change background colors, swap angles, and rotate headlines yourself so tests stay on brand.

Create a pre-approved asset library. Include product PNGs, lifestyle shots, UGC with rights cleared, and short video loops.

Automate naming and tracking, not creative. Use spreadsheets, bulk uploads, and naming conventions to save time without changing visuals.

Consider third-party helpers for visibility. Some tools surface hidden settings or flag risky previews. Use them as an extra pair of eyes, not as a replacement for final checks.

Proving the impact after you switch off AI edits

If stakeholders worry that turning off enhancements will hurt results, run a clean test.

Create two identical ad sets with the same budgets and audiences.

In one set, keep all Advantage+ creative toggles off. In the other, enable only one AI enhancement.

Run for at least 7 days to exit the learning phase. Track CPA, ROAS, conversion quality, refunds, and negative comments.

Document findings and decide the default. If AI does not beat the manual control, keep it off for BAU and reserve it for narrow tests.

Do not overlook qualitative outcomes. An ad that gets more clicks but causes customer complaints or refunds is not a win.

Troubleshooting common issues

If you still see odd renderings or settings turning back on, try this.

Duplicate the campaign and rebuild ads from scratch with enhancements off. Sometimes old toggles carry over in the background.

Clear browser cache or use an alternate browser to confirm what you see matches what is saved.

Have a second team member verify settings and previews. A two-person check reduces mistakes.

Open a support ticket with timestamps and screenshots if toggles re-enable themselves.

Slow down scale. Keep spend steady for 48 hours after big changes to avoid confounding performance shifts.

Team workflow that keeps you in control

A simple process beats guesswork.

Create a one-page SOP that lists every place you need to disable automated changes.

Assign roles: one person builds, another reviews, a third spot-checks after publish.

Store screenshots of settings and final previews in a shared folder per campaign.

Schedule the weekly 10-minute audit. Put it on the calendar and treat it like a launch gate.

The bottom line

Automation can help, but it should not surprise you. If your brand values consistency and accuracy, take a few minutes to turn off Meta Advantage+ ads where they alter creative, then build a repeatable review flow. You will reduce weird outputs, prevent customer confusion, and protect relationships with retailers and partners. When you turn off Meta Advantage+ ads and keep a tight preview routine, you get back control of your message and your spend — while still keeping the option to test AI on your terms.

(Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-ai-generating-bizarre-ads-advantage-plus-2025-10)

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