Meta Platforms is gearing up to revolutionize digital advertising by enabling complete automation of ad creation and targeting using artificial intelligence (AI) by the end of 2026, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. The company reportedly plans to let brands upload a simple product image and budget, after which Meta's AI will generate everything, from the visuals and video content to ad text and audience targeting, across its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. According to the report, the system would even provide "budget suggestions" and allow real-time personalization, so users see tailored versions of the same ad based on data points like "geolocation". Meta’s apps currently serve over 3.43 billion unique active users globally. Its existing AI tools already help advertisers with customized ad variations, background creation for images, and automatic video enhancements. This has positioned Meta as an appealing choice in a fiercely competitive digital ad market. Zuckerberg’s Vision When asked about the development, Meta pointed to CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s recent public remarks where he emphasized that AI tools must deliver "measurable results at scale". He further outlined his ambition to create an AI-powered hub where businesses can define campaign goals, assign budgets, and leave the execution to Meta’s automation system. Meta's shares rose nearly 1% following the report, even as major advertising firms saw declines. Shares in Interpublic Group dropped by 1.9%, Omnicom Group by 3.2%, and Publicis Groupe SA fell 3.8%. Meanwhile, U.S.-listed shares of WPP, which owns agencies like GroupM and Ogilvy, saw a 2.2% dip. Meta isn’t alone in the AI arms race. Social media rivals like Snap, Pinterest, and Reddit are also investing heavily in machine learning to sharpen their ad tech. On the tech side, companies such as Google and OpenAI have launched advanced tools for image and video generation. However, widespread adoption remains slow due to ongoing concerns over brand safety, creative control, and output quality.