Over 40% of Americans have felt duped by AI ads before, new survey suggests
According to a new study, 43% of Americans have felt duped by AI ads before.The poll of 2,000 U.S.adults found that 44% frequently see products advertised using some form of AI.
On average, they question whether the ads they see online feature real or AI-generated products four times a week.More than half said they do not trust products advertised with AI to match their descriptions.Commissioned by Auros and conducted by Talker Research, the study found that 61% believe at least one type of brand would be likely to use misleading or AI-focused marketing.The biggest offenders, according to them, are clothing brands (16%), beauty and cosmetic brands (16%), electronics (14%), luxury goods (11%), and food and beverage brands (11%).Respondents believe major retailers, including Walmart (27%) and Amazon (26%) are most likely to use AI marketing for products, followed by social media sites like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook (24%).When asked how confident they were in identifying whether an ad featured a real or AI product, 44% said they felt confident, while 22% said they did not.This was then put to the test, as respondents were tasked to determine if ads shown to them were real or AI.When shown real products, an average of 52% were able to correctly identify them.A third (31%) thought what they saw was AI, and 18% believed they saw a real product, but enhanced with AI.When shown fake products, an average of 42% correctly knew what they saw was just AI.
Thirty-four percent thought what they saw was real, and 24% thought the products were real but AI-enhanced.Images of real products enhanced with AI appeared to cause the most confusion.Only 20% correctly identified these as real products with AI-enhanced features or surroundings.
A majority (60%, on average) thought the products were AI, and 21% thought they were real.Whether AI was used in an ad seemed to shape consumers’ perceptions.A third (36%) believe that a product is lower quality if AI is used in its market...