A new study by The Harris Poll, 4As, and Infillion shows that the use of artificial intelligence in advertising is increasingly triggering negative reactions among consumers.
The key takeaway for marketers:
– 78% of consumers believe that AI makes advertising feel less authentic.
The same share of respondents said that brands appear out of touch when they rely too heavily on AI in their communications.
Negative perceptions also extend to ads created with generative AI:
– 63% of users are less likely to buy from a brand that uses AI-generated ads.
– 73% trust advertising less if they suspect it was created with the help of AI.
At the same time, audiences are tired not only of AI-generated content but also of the constant focus on the technology itself:
– 54% of consumers say there is too much discussion around AI, and it is becoming frustrating.
– 65% would like brands to stop using meaningless AI-driven marketing.
Meanwhile, companies continue to actively integrate AI into their advertising workflows. More than half of marketing professionals use it for idea generation and concept development, while around half use it to create visual assets. AI is also being applied to copywriting, personalization, targeting, and media planning.
Our view: the problem is not that a creative was created with AI. The problem arises when the entire creative process is reduced to a single prompt in a neural network: “Create a sales-driven advertisement.”
AI can be a powerful tool, but it cannot replace a strong idea, a deep understanding of the audience, and the expertise of creative professionals.
