The distrust towards AI largely stems from the discourse surrounding generative AI. The latter includes uncanny visuals like the unrealistic, human models in AI-generated art and online blogs that read like soulless blocks of text. However, there’s a lot more to AI as a technological movement, much of which is largely misunderstood.
So let’s look at audiences’ distrust of AI, where it stems from, and how brands can win back their trust.
Why Consumers Distrust AI-Generated Content
When consumers can see traces of AI in a piece of content, they worry that there is a lack of human intervention and verification. This raises concerns regarding misinformation and low-quality or fake content. This scepticism bleeds into marketing, meaning when an ad feels synthetic, it also feels unreliable. Here’s what drives such feelings:
- Branding perception: Visible AI signals a lack of quality control and human expertise, which might decrease the trust of audiences in the brand.
- Transparency gap: If brands use AI without disclosure, they end up creating a sense of deception among consumers.
- Quality limitations: AI-generated content usually lacks elements like accuracy, nuance, cultural context, humour, and readability. Not being able to identify the personality of a brand triggers a feeling of uncertainty.
- Ethical concerns: When consumers already hold ethical concerns about AI, like debates on data privacy, algorithmic bias, environmental impact, and job displacement, AI-heavy branding can seem misaligned with their values.
- Anti-AI meme culture: “Stop putting AI into everything”, and even anti-tech memes such as “I don’t want to log into my fan”, have hurt public perception of AI. The resultant anti-AI ideology or bias causes knee-jerk reactions towards AI usage itself, as opposed to concerns regarding the quality or reliability of the content.
Simply put, when AI usage is visible, people naturally have lower expectations from the product. This is why you see artists adding “No AI” to their bios.
However, research suggests that the use of gen AI and market effectiveness don’t actually have much correlation. So let’s understand how visible AI usage is received by audiences with two case studies.
What Happened When Big Brands Visibly Used AI
Here are two examples of major, international brands whose campaigns were identified by the audience as having used AI:
Coca-Cola: Christmas 2025
Coca-Cola’s Christmas ad in 2025 is a recent example of the kind of sudden, extreme reaction visible gen-AI can draw. The ad received criticism on social media, with the major argument against it being that it lacked the people and cheer elements of Christmas festivities. It sparked major controversy online and received a fair bit of backlash (any PR is good PR is a separate conversation).
Spotify: Spotify Wrapped 2024
In 2024, Spotify Wrapped faced widespread backlash, with users calling it impersonal, inaccurate, and overly reliant on generative AI.
Spotify responded in 2025 by dialling back visible AI elements, returning to familiar metrics, and shifting the focus back to human connection through retro design, storytelling, and community features. They turned the experience around by moving AI to the background instead of eliminating it.
People perceived these ads as poor-quality and lifeless, since they failed to portray creativity like human designers. Regardless of how right or wrong this perception may be, it’s important to note that the dislike towards AI creations was secondary, and the Spotify example suggests it could’ve been avoided almost entirely if the AI usage wasn’t so obvious.
Why AI Should Not be Shunned
Till now, the focus has mainly been on generative AI, as other forms of AI haven’t received that same level of backlash. This is where the understanding of AI as a tool is limited among consumers, and where it does not pose certain “threats” that the anti-AI side is concerned about.
Let’s look at why the abovementioned concerns regarding AI are not universal and the real benefits it brings to the world of marketing:
Why the Fear in AI Is Misplaced to Begin With
The fear of AI is not an entirely fair and neutral argument, as concerns like artists losing their jobs stand completely separate from benefits like hospitals saving more lives with improved organization and faster workflows. Simply put, people are scared of AI without understanding it completely.
According to Aditya Aima, Managing Director of Growth Markets at AnyMind Group, “Every new technology has carried a certain air of intimidation, whether it was computers decades ago or AI today… What unsettles consumers is not the tool but the uncertainty around it.”
He went on to say, “Churning out fifty versions of the same bland creative doesn’t make a brand smarter- it does the opposite… AI never really dilutes creativity, our laziness does.”
AI does not replace skilled artists, and companies that believe otherwise risk losing out against their competitors who utilize AI smartly. The desktop computer changed the world by creating a new branch of ‘digital’ artists without destroying the original ones. AI is bringing a similar shift - it is not destroying content writers and designers, but is producing faster results more efficiently.
What AI Brings to Marketing and User Experience
AI brings optimizations to marketing and user experience that go beyond creating text and visuals via generative AI. It is in these uses that AI truly shines as a tool, and big brands make the most of its innovative capabilities.
- Swift idea generation: AI can quickly generate multiple angles, formats, and messaging directions from a single brief, helping teams explore ideas faster and focus on refining the strongest ones.
- Faster content creation: From drafting copy to repurposing content across platforms, AI reduces manual effort and enables quicker testing and iteration of the core message.
- Better personalization: By analyzing user behavior and past performance, AI helps marketers tailor content more precisely and make decisions based on patterns rather than assumptions.
- Streamlined workflows: Repetitive tasks like scheduling, asset organization, and reporting can be automated, allowing teams to spend more time on strategy and execution.
A major nuance here is that AI is currently still in its infancy. As businesses adopt a more AI-driven approach, seeing it as a tool rather than an alternative, AI models are also getting better at learning what is expected from them.
Just like the desktop computer, AI has massive room for improvement and evolution, while also becoming more environmentally friendly with optimized energy consumption.
How Big Brands Use AI the Right Way
While there has been healthy backlash over brands' use of AI, there are some brands who have found a middle ground.
Netflix’s Recommendation Engine
Netflix uses AI to personalize what each user sees on the platform, from content suggestions to thumbnails. Its recommendation engine analyzes viewing history, watch time, preferences, and even subtle behaviors like what you hover over or skip.
Based on this, it personalizes rows like “Because You Watched…” and even changes thumbnails to predict what you’re more likely to click on. By using AI, Netflix focuses on making the user experience easier, faster, and tailored to individual preferences.
Sephora: AI-assisted Shopping
Sephora uses AI-powered augmented reality to let users try on makeup products virtually before buying. Through its Virtual Artist tool, customers can see how different shades of lipstick, foundation, or eyeshadow would look on them, using just their device camera.
Instead of guessing or relying on static images, this lets users make decisions based on a personalized, interactive experience. The AI works quietly in the background, while instilling more confidence in the customers about their choices.
In these examples, AI is what makes the user experience better. These uses bring the best out of AI, without incurring the negative response from having used “AI-generated” content. Brands can achieve such results by using AI responsibly and for the right purpose.
So, How Can Brands Build Trust in AI-Generated Content?
The way to build trust in AI-generated content is to improve your digital perception by putting out valuable and well-researched content. While AI boosts speed, producing poor content fast can decrease brand trust. Here’s what you need to do to build trust:
- Utilise your professionals: Your writers and designers can be the final humanizing layer on AI-generated content, adding personality and content readability to your output.
- Show Your People: Feature your employees in your content, share their stories, and include behind-the-scenes insights. Put human faces at the forefront of your brand.
- Don’t automate everything: Some moments need a human, like customer complaints, emotional storytelling, and creative campaigns. Keep a layer of human intervention across such tasks.
- Prioritise ethical AI use: Be mindful of bias and data privacy, and use AI ethically to earn long-term trust from your audience.
- Test your AI content with real humans: Before you launch an AI-generated campaign, take feedback from real humans. If it feels non-human to them, that will likely be the general consensus, too.
Summing Up
AI isn’t going anywhere, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s bringing a transformation in the marketing world, where highly capable artists are actually more important than ever. In the long-run, brands that understand this will win, while brands that treat AI as a shortcut to replace human creativity will lose.
The future of marketing isn’t about choosing between AI and humans. It’s about knowing when to use each one. Use AI to gather insights and boost production, and use humans to improve quality and add expertise. Use technology to scale.
FAQs
How does AI-generated content affect brand trust?
AI-generated content can reduce brand trust if it feels generic, inaccurate, or impersonal. When supported by human oversight and strong quality control, it can still enhance efficiency without damaging credibility.
Is AI-generated content bad for SEO?
AI-generated content is not inherently bad for SEO, as search engines prioritise helpful, accurate, and user-focused content regardless of how it is created.
How can brands make AI-generated content more human?
Brands can make AI-generated content more human by editing for tone, adding real examples, and ensuring a clear human voice is present.
How much AI use is too much in marketing?
AI use becomes excessive when it replaces human creativity and decision-making entirely. The best approach is to use AI as a support tool while keeping human input central.
What are the risks of using AI in content marketing?
The main risks include reduced authenticity, potential inaccuracies, bias, and loss of brand voice. Overuse of AI can also make content feel generic and weaken the emotional connection.
