HomeMajority of U.S. consumers find 'AI' in brand messaging off-putting, survey shows
According to a new report from WordPress VIP, the Automattic-owned company offering an enterprise version of the WordPress publishing platform, getting cited by AI is easier than earning consumer trust. As brands race to have their links appear in AI search results, consumers have grown more skeptical about whether they can trust the answers they receive.
According to the report, 60% of U.S. consumers say brands that use “AI” in their messaging are a turnoff, and 86% don’t fully trust AI and still want to explore original sources. Notably, 42% of consumers said that AI-generated answers without clear attribution are trusted less than airline fees, confusing privacy policies, and medical bills.
Nearly three in four respondents said the internet feels “less human” than it did a decade ago.
Together, the findings depict a rapidly evolving digital landscape where brands are trying to adapt to a world beyond Google Search and traditional SEO, while also balancing the need to appear human-authored or risk losing their audience. As companies invest more in making their brands visible to AI search engines, consumers place greater value on transparency and attribution.
“People used to build websites for other people,” said Brian Alvey, CTO of WordPress VIP, in a statement released alongside the new report. “Now you have to build websites for AI agents acting on behalf of those people. If your site’s content isn’t legible to AI, you are invisible to a growing share of how people search. You don’t exist. And if your content doesn’t feel human and trustworthy for the tiny percentage of people who actually click past the AI answer engines, they won’t come back a second time.”
The report is based on a survey of 2,000 respondents conducted in April, including 800 enterprise decision-makers and CMOs, and 1,200 U.S. adults.
Despite consumer wariness about AI, the report also found that AI referrals to websites were growing.
Sixty percent of enterprise respondents said that traffic from AI search engines and answer platforms increased over the past year, and 74% of enterprise decision-makers said AI discoverability and attribution are a main or significant priority.
WordPress VIP says the findings point to a future where brands will have to navigate both AI visibility and human trust simultaneously. The report found that 33% of consumers said clicking through to see an original source remains their top trust signal, and 80% said information on the web should remain openly accessible, rather than controlled by a small number of large organizations.
The last finding aligns with Automattic’s broader push for an open web ecosystem, reflected in its support for the open source WordPress project and investments in open web protocols, such as ActivityPub.
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According to a new report from WordPress VIP, the Automattic-owned company offering an enterprise version of the WordPress publishing platform, getting cited by AI is easier than earning consumer trust. As brands race to have their links appear in AI search results, consumers have grown more skeptical about whether they can trust the answers they receive.
According to the report, 60% of U.S. consumers say brands that use “AI” in their messaging are a turnoff, and 86% don’t fully trust AI and still want to explore original sources. Notably, 42% of consumers said that AI-generated answers without clear attribution are trusted less than airline fees, confusing privacy policies, and medical bills.
Nearly three in four respondents said the internet feels “less human” than it did a decade ago.
Together, the findings depict a rapidly evolving digital landscape where brands are trying to adapt to a world beyond Google Search and traditional SEO, while also balancing the need to appear human-authored or risk losing their audience. As companies invest more in making their brands visible to AI search engines, consumers place greater value on transparency and attribution.
“People used to build websites for other people,” said Brian Alvey, CTO of WordPress VIP, in a statement released alongside the new report. “Now you have to build websites for AI agents acting on behalf of those people. If your site’s content isn’t legible to AI, you are invisible to a growing share of how people search. You don’t exist. And if your content doesn’t feel human and trustworthy for the tiny percentage of people who actually click past the AI answer engines, they won’t come back a second time.”
The report is based on a survey of 2,000 respondents conducted in April, including 800 enterprise decision-makers and CMOs, and 1,200 U.S. adults.
Despite consumer wariness about AI, the report also found that AI referrals to websites were growing.
Sixty percent of enterprise respondents said that traffic from AI search engines and answer platforms increased over the past year, and 74% of enterprise decision-makers said AI discoverability and attribution are a main or significant priority.
WordPress VIP says the findings point to a future where brands will have to navigate both AI visibility and human trust simultaneously. The report found that 33% of consumers said clicking through to see an original source remains their top trust signal, and 80% said information on the web should remain openly accessible, rather than controlled by a small number of large organizations.
The last finding aligns with Automattic’s broader push for an open web ecosystem, reflected in its support for the open source WordPress project and investments in open web protocols, such as ActivityPub.
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2026 Latest Best Top-Rated AI Outline Generators for Long-Form SEO Articles, meticulously curated by XIX.AI. These powerful tools offer game-changing assistance in creating high-quality content quickly, boosting writing efficiency significantly. Get a free vs paid comparison along with real-world tests and detailed rankings to help you find the must-try option that suits your needs. Explore now to unlock your AI edge.
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