Meta is running get-rich-quick ads on its AI tools

Manus, and AI company Meta found about $2 billion last year running ads that promise quick, easy money with AI: Find local businesses with no websites or bad websites, have AI create one for them, then call them and sell to them.

As part of the campaign, Manus was paying content creators to create Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok accounts that promote its AI products as an easy, profitable gig. (TikTok creator accounts were later taken down Seaside asked about them.) Some of these videos also appear as official Manus ads, but posts on the paid accounts often hide their relationship with the company.

The ads were not hidden. Posted by an account called “Manus AI by Meta,” one video showed Manus’ AI assistant as a “Simple Method” that “anyone can do” — that it says “takes less than 10 minutes” and can bring in “$5k a month.” The young man in the video said, “There are no limits.” Except, I think, the number of businesses that want to buy an AI-generated website from a stranger on the internet.

The ad didn’t mention who made it, but their TikTok account, which has since been deleted, was filled with Manus’ content. Their Instagram accountwhich is still there, is almost the same. He did not disclose any connection with Manus in his biography or writings.

Through TikTok and Instagram, I discovered a network of other accounts posting similar content to Manus, many of which were fictional websites, and selling vibe-coded apps. The stories were very similar. They looked the same, used the same language, and promised the same thing: “The art of Manus” with a close face, “my websites don’t look vibe-coded anymore,” “don’t get a part-time job,” and “make (thousands of dollars) without talking hard” while the creators put tape over their mouths. Many of the accounts were only a few months old, had posted about Manus, and appeared to be run by creators in their mid-20s or early 20s. Most of the posts had no visible engagements, although some were very popular with thousands of likes, comments, and shares.

Some stories don’t clearly mention “building with Manus” in their history, or something similar. A few posted what appeared to be real names, and those were directed to LinkedIn profiles identifying them as contractors who make Manus products. There was also a person whose LinkedIn profile said Manus hired them in January as a “viral development expert” to “lead a team of 10-20 developers,” enforce “system controls and quality benchmarks,” guide developers on specific products, and run training sessions for startups on how to create viruses. The person did not respond to a request for comment. Manus spokesperson Ronghui Li confirmed that the company “works with third parties for paid UGC programs on all platforms including TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube” and said that the people and accounts I mentioned were “foreign partners who participated in the program.”

Manus declined to answer questions about Meta’s role in the program, including whether the parent company knows or follows Meta’s policies. When asked about disclosure and advertising laws, Li said that Manus sometimes allows some of the videos he created as advertisements on platforms, where they are posted by regular advertising labels. However, Li said the onus of disclosure on production records lies with the producers themselves and that Manus is now reviewing the accounts and records in question.

When asked why Manus promotes the tool as a “simple challenge,” Li said the company “doesn’t accept exaggerated or false claims” and that it will review the content. Li did not say whether the review is for the entire program. Li also did not answer my specific question about what evidence, if any, Manus had to support his findings in the videos.

Trim, YouTubeand TikTok all of which arguably require manufacturers to clearly disclose paid advertising. Several legal and business experts I spoke to said that unknown relationships are not running afoul of major trading platforms; in many areas, they may be breaking the law. Sonal Patel Oliva, an advertising lawyer at Fieldfisher, said British regulators are “resilient to undisclosed advertising in dynamic advertising,” which requires incentives to be clearly labeled as advertising. Alexandros Antoniou, a professor of law at the University of Essex in England, agreed with this point, saying that the common language that is close to the language “cannot pass” in disclosure.

Meta did not respond to multiple requests for comment asking whether it knew about the program and whether the campaign followed its advertising policies. TikTok declined to speak on the record, but since I reached out, many of Manus’ hype videos appear to have been removed, and many of the accounts that posted them appear to have been banned. YouTube did not respond to a request for comment.

Antoniou added that the findings are “scarier” than those left behind, given the UK’s tough consumer misleading laws. The experts agreed that the same basic principles apply elsewhere, including in the EU and the US.

Meta was with Manus during the entire period described here and was with him he says it has already started including its origins and processes. It now faces the prospect of to be comfortable the deal after the Chinese authorities blocked it, even the company they persevere it followed the necessary rules and says, without explanation, that it hopes to reach a settlement with Beijing.