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AI and Authenticity Survey:

AI and Authenticity Survey: 49% of Consumers Agree That GenAI Harms Brand Authenticity

3 Mins Read
July 23, 2024
AI
Branding
Research

As seen in

At a glance:

49% of respondents agree that generative AI harms perceptions of brand authenticity
But just one-third of consumers are confident they can spot GenAI content.

Objective: Generative AI is giving brands new, powerful tools for content creation and audience engagement — but does it come at the cost of authenticity? As big beauty brands like Dove speak out against the use of generative AI, we wanted to find out how AI impacts perceptions of authenticity in brands.

Question one: The use of generative AI in branded content makes me question the brand’s authenticity.

Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

Question two: I’m confident I can spot AI-generated content in advertising and on social media. AI Generated text content / AI generated image content.

Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree

Audience: A general panel of American consumers aged 18 – 64.

Overall Results

49% of respondents agree that generative AI harms perceptions of brand authenticity
But just one-third of consumers are confident they can spot GenAI content.

The use of generative AI in branded content makes me question the brand’s authenticity.

I’m confident I can spot AI-generated content in advertising and on social media.

Gender Breakdown

19.2% of men strongly agree that using generative AI harms a brand’s authenticity.
44% of men vs 33% of women think they can spot GenAI in image content.

Men

The use of generative AI in branded content makes me question the brand’s authenticity.

I’m confident I can spot AI-generated content in advertising and on social media.

Women

The use of generative AI in branded content makes me question the brand’s authenticity.

I’m confident I can spot AI-generated content in advertising and on social media.

Age Breakdown

44% of 18 – 34s agree that GenAI is harmful to brand authenticity.
36% of 55 – 64s don’t think they can recognize AI-generated image content.

18 – 34

The use of generative AI in branded content makes me question the brand’s authenticity.

I’m confident I can spot AI-generated content in advertising and on social media.

35 – 54

The use of generative AI in branded content makes me question the brand’s authenticity.

I’m confident I can spot AI-generated content in advertising and on social media.

55 – 64

The use of generative AI in branded content makes me question the brand’s authenticity.

I’m confident I can spot AI-generated content in advertising and on social media.

Conclusion

Generative AI content harms authenticity with around half of consumers, while a third of consumers aren’t confident they can recognize GenAI in branded content. Whether they’re using AI or not, brands will have to work harder than ever to emphasize authenticity with audiences in 2024.

If you’re interested in digging deeper into our findings, or asking your own questions on consumer and branding topics, contact Atom’s Communications Lead Lotte Reford to learn more.