As Consumers Increasingly Question What’s “Real,” Marketers Should Make AI Transparent, Optional and Clearly Beneficial

STAMFORD, Conn.: Half of U.S. consumers (50%) say they would prefer to give their business to brands that do not use GenAI, according to a survey by Gartner, Inc., a business and technology insights company. In this survey, “brands that use GenAI” refers to brands incorporating GenAI in consumer-facing messages, advertising and content.

The finding suggests that growing consumer use of GenAI does not automatically translate into comfort with AI-powered brand experiences.

A Gartner survey of 1,539 U.S. consumers conducted in October 2025 revealed that consumer skepticism is also intensifying more broadly, creating a high-risk environment for synthetic or unsubstantiated brand claims. Sixty-one percent (61%) of consumers say they frequently question whether the information they use to make everyday decisions is reliable, and 68% frequently wonder whether the content and information they see is real.

“Marketers should treat GenAI as a trust decision as much as a technology decision,” said Emily Weiss, Senior Principal Analyst in the Gartner Marketing practice. “Consumers are questioning what’s real and making efforts to verify more of what they see. The brands that win will be the ones that use AI in ways customers can immediately recognize as helpful, while being transparent about when AI is used, what it’s doing, and giving customers a clear choice to opt out.”

Consumers’ heightened skepticism is also changing how they assess truth. By the end of 2025, only 27% of consumers said they determine whether information is true using intuition, reflecting a growing shift toward independent checking, and verification behaviors.

“To reduce risk and build trust, marketers should make GenAI optional rather than mandatory, start with clearly assistive use cases that deliver immediate customer value, and label AI-driven experiences, so people understand when and how AI is being used,” advised Weiss. “Marketers should also make verification easy by backing claims with clear proof points and governance, because consumers are increasingly skeptical about what they see and hear. When AI is transparent, helpful, and in the customer’s control, it can strengthen the experience instead of weakening trust.”

Gartner clients can read more in the report What CMOs Must Know About Consumers in 2026.

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Fonte: Business Wire