Sixty percent of U.S. consumers say ‘AI’ in brand messaging is a turnoff, survey finds

A recent survey conducted by WordPress VIP, a subsidiary of Automattic that provides enterprise solutions for the WordPress platform, highlights a significant concern among U.S. consumers regarding artificial intelligence in brand communications. The findings reveal that 60% of respondents find brands that incorporate 'AI' into their messaging to be off-putting, reflecting a growing skepticism about the reliability of AI-generated information. The report indicates that a staggering 86% of consumers do not fully trust AI and prefer to seek out original sources for information. Alarmingly, 42% of participants expressed that they trust AI-generated responses without clear attribution even less than they trust confusing airline fees, intricate privacy policies, and medical bills. Furthermore, nearly three-quarters of those surveyed believe that the internet has become 'less human' compared to a decade ago. These insights illustrate the challenges brands face in a rapidly changing digital environment, where the demand for visibility in AI-driven search results is increasing. According to Brian Alvey, CTO of WordPress VIP, brands must now cater to AI agents that serve as intermediaries for consumers. He emphasized the importance of making site content accessible to AI, stating, 'If your site’s content isn’t legible to AI, you are invisible to a growing share of how people search.' Despite the existing skepticism, the report also noted a rise in traffic from AI-driven search engines, with 60% of enterprise respondents observing increased visits from these platforms over the past year. Moreover, 74% of enterprise decision-makers highlighted the significance of AI discoverability and attribution as a primary concern. Looking ahead, WordPress VIP suggests that brands will need to strike a balance between optimizing for AI visibility and maintaining consumer trust. The survey also revealed that 33% of consumers view clicking through to original sources as their primary trust indicator, while 80% believe that web information should remain openly accessible rather than dominated by a select few large entities. This perspective aligns with Automattic’s commitment to fostering an open web ecosystem, as evidenced by its support for the open-source WordPress project and initiatives like ActivityPub.