AI ADVERTISING VS. THE AUDIENCE. ON THE DIVERGENCE OF PERSPECTIVES

According to data from an IAB report, nearly one-third of television commercials, social media videos, and online videos currently use AI-based tools in their production, and this number is expected to rise to 39% by 2026.

AI has become a full-fledged participant in the creative market: it designs posters, builds visual narratives, and supports advertising campaigns. Ads are created in a flash. At the same time, their characters have never been more artificial than they are today. Does this message resonate with us?

Companies vs. the audience

The full implementation of artificial intelligence throughout the entire media campaign cycle is still in its early stages. However, 43% of companies already consider the use of AI in their campaigns to be a success, and another 19% are implementing it on a full scale – artificial intelligence is fully integrated, participates in all media communication within the company, and is used consistently and on a large scale.

Meanwhile, research conducted by NielsenIQ on a sample of 2,000 people shows that despite the dynamic development of generative artificial intelligence and the quality of the content it produces, the reception of advertisements created using AI is very skeptical. The respondents viewed and evaluated generated content of both relatively high and low quality. How did they rate it?

The answers were quite clear: the use of AI in advertising weakens brand loyalty and affinity. The ads presented, regardless of the tier of AI used, were rated as boring, confusing, and annoying.

The gap between brands’ expectations and consumer response is particularly evident when we look at the responses of younger generations.

The perspective of Millennials and Gen Z

Although one might expect that the generations most familiar with technological innovations would respond best to generative AI marketing content, the reality is quite different.

The IAB survey The AI Ad Gap (2024) shows that although a large proportion of Generation Z and Millennials appreciate the creative approach and technological prowess of companies in such ads (about 40% of respondents), there is also a strong distrust of such messaging among this group of respondents.

As many as 25% of Gen Zers consider AI-powered ads to be inauthentic, and 26% consider them to be fake. The conclusion? Young consumers immediately pick up on “artificial” content, and the above responses indicate that they are just as quick to distance themselves from it.

Interestingly, companies are also noticing this problem. In the same IAB survey, as many as 40% of advertisers admitted that consumer reception of AI-generated ads is one of their main concerns. Even so, 80% of advertising industry representatives believe that consumers view ads created by generative AI positively.

Will there be a consensus?

At present, it is difficult to talk about agreement between brands and consumers on this issue, because although there is apparent agreement on certain issues, other discrepancies in the assessment of the use of AI in visual communication are striking.

Companies that clearly communicate their use of artificial intelligence and choose the channels best suited to this type of communication (e.g., social media) are more likely not only to reduce skepticism, but also to benefit from the use of artificial intelligence.

When we treat the recipient not as a target but as a partner in communication, every media message works to the benefit of both parties. People expect authenticity and credibility. Brands have learned to speak quickly, and now they must learn to speak truthfully.

Sources:

• https://www.forbes.com/sites/dangingiss/2025/11/06/ai-generated-advertising-consumer-trust-and-the-coca-cola-test/
• Interactive Advertising Bureau, Digital Video Ad Spend & Strategy  Report  2025
• Interactive Advertising Bureau , State of Data 2025 THE NOW, THE NEAR, AND THE NEXT EVOLUTION OF AI FOR MEDIA CAMPAIGNS, March 2025
• https://nielseniq.com/global/en/news-center/2024/niq-research-uncovers-hidden-consumer-attitudes-toward-ai-generated-ads/
• IAB The AI Ad Gap (2024) https://www.iab.com/insights/why-young-consumers-avoid-gen-ai-ads/