American Marketing Association - New York, March 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Consumers are uneasy about artificial intelligence (AI) in marketing, contrary to marketers’ expectations. They want AI to help them shop, not replace them, a new study finds.
AI campaigns have non-consumer targets too, it reports. A majority of marketers say they have run campaigns targeting AI models or online purchasing agents. Business buyers in particular are much more open than consumers to AI technology in marketing, including AI purchasing bots.
The survey was released by the American Marketing Association – New York, and conducted by Charney Research and Toluna. It includes online polls of American marketers, consumers, and business buyers, along with social media listening among marketers and consumers.
“Marketers are excited about all the potential AI offers them,” says Craig Charney, CEO of Charney Research, who directed the study. He notes 99% say they use AI in their marketing. “But they risk a shock if they don’t implement it in ways that build consumer confidence, which is shaky now.”
The survey found a large “perception gap” about marketing AI between marketers and consumers. In social media monitoring, marketers’ discussions focus on strategy and business solutions and on automation and efficiency. Consumer comments are dominated by negative experiences, particularly frustrations with AI interactions. Only 10% of marketer conversations address ethics and regulation, despite growing consumer concerns around privacy, fairness, and responsible use.
“This gap highlights a critical opportunity,” says Selin Varol, Toluna’s Global Discovery Observation Lead. “Brands that balance efficiency with authentic human interaction, currently just 4% of discussions, will be best positioned to build trust and deliver meaningful value in the age of AI.
BY THE NUMBERS: MARKETERS VS. CONSUMERS
- The Optimism Gap: 82% of marketers expect consumers to benefit from AI, while only 42% of consumers agree.
- B2B vs. B2C: 79% of business buyers expect AI benefits, compared to 42% of general consumers.
- Rise of the Machines: 44% of business purchasers are ready to use AI buying agents today; only 19% of consumers are.
- The New Target: 51% of marketers already run campaigns specifically targeting AI models and web crawlers rather than humans.
- The Human Factor: 85% of consumers see potential efficiency gains, but 25% remain unsure if AI’s total impact on them will be good or bad.
Now, however, while 82% of marketers expect consumers will see more benefit than harm from marketing AI, just 42% of consumers think so. Fewer think AI will cause harm (33%), but uncertainty is common: 25% are unsure if its effects will be good or bad.
Doubts about marketing AI are greatest among women, over-40, non-college, and low-income consumers. Half or more of men, under-40s, the college-educated, and upper-income consumers are positive, but in consumer trust AI has something of a diversity and inclusion problem that brands need to solve.
In contrast, 79% of business purchasers expect to benefit from marketing AI, and 44% are ready to use AI buying agents now, with 70% expecting to by 2028. (The comparable figures for consumers are 19% now and 35% in 2028.) The study notes that In B2B particularly, buyers often confront bewildering varieties of highly technical offerings and want aid in decision-making.
This helps explain why 51% of marketers say they are already running AI campaigns targeting AI language models, web crawlers, or automated purchasing agents, and 73% say they will within two years. As AI agents begin to handle search for buyers, marketers are adding influencing the algorithms and agents directly to their strategies. These findings reveal how rapidly the market is moving towards automation on both the buy and sell sides.
Most consumers (85%) do perceive potential benefits from AI, chiefly in making shopping quicker and more efficient. They particularly like always-on service, virtual try-ons, and personalization. But they worry about misinformation, data breaches, and losing access to human help with AI.
According to the report, the key to building consumers’ trust in marketing AI is transparency. They want to know when and why AI is used and have an option to get human help instead. Other preferred approaches include third-party verification and track records to demonstrate the trustworthiness of the tech.
METHODOLOGY The survey began with a review of 18,804 social media conversations on AI and marketing in the US between August 1, 2024, and July 31, 2025. To ensure that the collected data comes specifically from consumers or professionals, data collection was restricted to relevant discussion platforms such as Reddit, Warriorforum, Blogarama, and other specialized marketing forums, as well as relevant groups where professionals actively discuss industry topics. It was followed by three online polls: one of 459 marketers between August 23 and September 5, 2025, a nationally representative poll of 503 US adults from October 12 to 23, 2025, and a poll of 307 business purchasers from October 12 to 29, 2025. The report on the survey is available here.
Dorothy Crenshaw, MODOP 917-881-9623 dorothy.crenshaw@modop.com Craig Charney, Charney Research: 917-371-2951 craig@charneyresearch.com