Generative AI has moved quickly from a novelty to a normal part of how content is planned, created, edited and distributed.
For marketing and PR teams, the opportunity is obvious. AI can help speed up workflows, springboard ideas, personalise content, analyse data and scale creative output across more channels than ever before.
But the bigger question is not whether brands should use AI. It is a question of whether audiences will trust them when they do.
Recent research from YouGov and Meltwater shows that consumer attitudes toward generative AI are complex. People recognise the benefits, especially around speed, efficiency and accessibility, but they are also increasingly concerned about misinformation, authenticity, disclosure and the loss of human creativity.
For brands, this creates a new challenge. AI may help you create more content, but more content does not automatically mean a stronger connection, better performance or greater trust.
In 2026, the brands that win will not simply be the ones using AI the most. They will be the ones using it responsibly, transparently and strategically.
AI Is Now a Trust Issue, Not Just a Technology Issue
AI is no longer sitting in the background as a productivity tool. It is becoming part of the customer-facing brand experience.
It can shape the copy people read, the images they see, the ads they are served, the responses they receive from customer service and even the information they rely on when making decisions.
That is why trust matters.
According to the YouGov and Meltwater report, 32% of consumers across surveyed markets say they would trust a brand less if they knew its content had been generated using AI, compared with only 15% who say they would trust the brand more.
This does not mean brands should avoid AI altogether. It means they need to be more deliberate about where AI is used, how it is reviewed and when audiences should be told.
At Ardent, we see AI as a support tool, not a replacement for strategy, creativity or human judgement. That aligns with our broader approach to AI in PR, where AI can assist with media monitoring, drafting and predictive insights, but human creativity, tone and relationships remain critical.
Consumers Can See the Benefits, But They Still Have Concerns
The report shows that consumers do understand why brands are adopting AI.
The most recognised benefits of generative AI in content creation include creating content faster, producing multilingual content, generating ideas when people are stuck, reducing spelling or formatting errors and automating repetitive writing or design tasks.
These are practical advantages for marketing teams.
AI can help brands move faster. It can make creative testing easier. It can support personalisation, localisation and content repurposing across platforms.
But the concerns are just as clear.
Nearly three-quarters of respondents are concerned that AI-generated content could be used to create fake news or scams. Many also worry about misleading information, unclear authorship, lack of oversight, data use, bias and the risk of AI replacing human creators.
For brands, this is the key tension. AI can improve efficiency, but if it weakens credibility, it becomes a brand risk.
Transparency Is Becoming a Baseline Expectation
One of the strongest findings in the report is the demand for disclosure for materially AI-generated audience-facing assets
Across the seven markets surveyed, 86% of respondents say it is important that content clearly states when it has been created using generative AI. The report also found that 59% say failure to disclose AI use would reduce their trust in a brand.
That is a major signal for marketers, PR teams and brand leaders.
Audiences are not necessarily rejecting AI. They are rejecting deception.
There is a big difference between a brand using AI to support a creative workflow and a brand presenting AI-generated content as something entirely human, real or first-hand.
This is particularly important in sensitive categories such as health, finance, education, news, politics, social issues and charity communications. In these areas, accuracy and trust are not optional. They are central to the brand relationship.
Context Matters: Not All AI Use Feels the Same
The report also shows that audience acceptance depends heavily on context.
Consumers are more accepting of generative AI in entertainment and product advertising, but far less comfortable with its use in news reporting, political advertising and influencer marketing.
That distinction matters.
Using AI to resize a product image, translate a caption, or create first-draft ad variations is very different from using AI to generate a fake testimonial, a synthetic spokesperson, or a misleading news-style asset.
For agencies and in-house marketing teams, this is where judgement becomes essential.
Before using AI, brands should ask:
- Is this improving the customer experience, or just reducing production effort?
- Could this be mistaken for a real person, real event or real endorsement?
- Would we be comfortable explaining how this was created?
- Does this content require human expertise, lived experience or emotional nuance?
If the answer raises doubt, that is a sign to slow down, review and apply stronger controls.
Human Involvement Is Still a Brand Advantage
One of the most important findings for marketers is that trust remains closely tied to human involvement.
The report found that 49% of respondents say their trust would decline if AI replaced human creators entirely.
This reinforces what we are already seeing across social media, PR and digital campaigns. Audiences are responding to content that feels human, specific and emotionally grounded.
This does not always mean highly polished production. In fact, Ardent’s 2026 Marketing Playbook highlights authenticity, human connection, storytelling and UGC as key areas for brands navigating an increasingly automated digital environment.
The same principle applies to AI.
Brands do not need to pretend AI is absent. But they do need to show that real people are still guiding the strategy, checking the details, shaping the message and taking responsibility for what is published.
The strongest model is not AI-only. It is AI-assisted, human-led.
What This Means for PR and Marketing Teams
For PR and marketing teams, the opportunity is not simply to use AI more. It is to use it better.
AI can help teams move faster, generate more creative directions, analyse audience behaviour and keep track of what competitors and category leaders are doing. But it works best when there is still a strong human layer guiding the thinking, reviewing the output and shaping the final message.
Keep humans in the loop
The strongest approach is human-led and AI-assisted.
That means using AI to support strategy, not replace it. It can help with research, first drafts, content variations, campaign analysis and market monitoring, but the final decisions still need human judgement, brand understanding and audience context.
Be transparent where it matters
Transparency is especially important when AI use could change how someone interprets the content.
Using AI to check spelling, summarise internal notes or develop early content options is very different from using it to create a synthetic image, voice, spokesperson or testimonial-style asset.
The more likely the audience is to assume something is real, human or first-hand, the more carefully brands need to think about disclosure. And with social media embedding content labels into the platform, trying to avoid disclosure is a losing game.
Use AI to support creativity
AI can be a powerful creative tool when used properly.
It can help teams explore different angles, test new formats, build on proven concepts and adapt ideas for different channels. But it should not flatten the work into generic content.
The best creative still needs a clear brand point of view, real customer insight and a strong understanding of the platform it is made for. But what it can do is speed up the process and support a more dynamic creative strategy.
Use AI to understand the market
There is also a growing role for AI in listening and analysis.
Brands can use AI-assisted tools to understand audience sentiment, identify emerging conversations, track competitor activity and spot patterns across media, search and social.
This is where AI can be especially valuable for PR and marketing teams: not just creating content, but understanding the market around it.
The question becomes: what are people responding to, what are competitors doing well, where is the category moving, and is there an opportunity for us to do something similar in a way that feels authentic to the brand?
The Opportunity
Used well, AI can help brands become more responsive, more informed and more creative at scale.
It can speed up research, support content production, improve reporting and uncover insights that might otherwise be missed. But the real value comes when AI is paired with human judgement.
Speed still needs accuracy, scale still needs quality control, automation still needs empathy, and creativity still needs a human point of view.
Final Thoughts
AI is changing how brands communicate, but it has not changed what audiences value most.
People still want content that feels credible, useful, honest and human.
The brands that succeed will not be the ones that automate the most. They will be the ones that use AI thoughtfully, keep humans in the loop, stay transparent where it matters and continue listening closely to their audience.
For PR and marketing teams, that is the real opportunity: using AI to work smarter, without losing the trust that strong brands are built on.