AI Tech / news
Marketers adopt AI but draw the line on customer-facing content
Most marketers now use AI in creative work, but many are setting strict boundaries on customer-facing content. New research shows nearly all plan to increase AI investment, even as consumer confidence in AI-generated quality drops.
The debate over when and how to use artificial intelligence in customer-facing advertising is intensifying, even as AI adoption becomes nearly universal among marketing teams.
Brands such as personal care company Goodwipes and Hilton are using AI to speed up creative workflows and cut costs—refreshing past photo shoots or producing more ad campaigns without additional filming.
According to Canva's State of Marketing report, 97% of marketing leaders now use AI in their daily creative work and 99% plan to increase AI investment this year. But enthusiasm has been tempered by consumer skepticism.
Gartner research from June found that 49% of U.S. consumers believe AI has worsened content quality, and that share rises to 57% among Gen Z and millennials.
The risks materialized for REI over the summer when an AI-generated ad depicting a woman with a bicycle that had two handlebars drew widespread mockery. Guardrails are now emerging as a priority for brands that want to avoid similar missteps.