Why AI-Created Advertising Can Hurt Purchase Likelihood

AI-created advertising gets more negative than positive reaction

When we asked how AI-created advertising or messages would affect purchase likelihood, 15% of consumers said it would make them more likely to buy from the company. 44% said it would make no difference, while 41% said it would make them less likely to buy.

That is a fairly uneven result. The largest group is neutral, but the negative group is almost three times the size of the positive group.

Negative associations are not limited to one issue

Sixty-five percent of consumers selected at least one negative association with brand AI use. The leading responses were lazy at 25%, less personal at 24%, less authentic at 23%, and less trustworthy at 21%.

No single association dominates, which is part of what makes the result interesting. The reaction is spread across effort, personality, authenticity, and trust rather than being tied to one narrow concern.

Accuracy and human connection lead the specific concerns

When we asked about concerns more directly, 29% said brand AI use makes them question whether the information is accurate, and 27% said it makes marketing feel less human. Those were the two leading concerns in the study.

That helps explain why the broader associations are not only about whether people like AI. Some of the hesitation appears to be about what consumers think AI use says about the quality of the work and the company behind it.

What stands out in the data

The overall reaction is not a blanket rejection of AI-created advertising. Forty-four percent said it would make no difference. But the negative side is large enough that it cannot be treated as a neutral production detail either.

The combination of purchase-likelihood data, negative brand associations, and concerns about accuracy and human connection tells a pretty consistent story: consumers notice more than the finished message. They can also make judgments about what the use of AI says about the brand.

Read the full report:

https://www.lab42.com/ai-shopping-report

Source: Lab42 AI Consumer Study, 2026. Q45-Q47, base all consumers n=500.