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Artificial intelligence allows brands to produce campaigns faster, analyze vast amounts of data, and reduce costs, but that efficiency is beginning to collide with a growing concern among audiences: 59% of consumers believe that one of the main risks for companies using AI is the loss of the human touch, according to Statista’s The State of AI in Advertising report. The figure reveals a paradox for the advertising industry: while companies are finding economic and operational benefits in the technology, consumers continue to value authenticity and human connection.
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The concern is becoming increasingly relevant as generative artificial intelligence is incorporated into virtually every stage of marketing, from data analysis and audience segmentation to image generation, copywriting, and campaign optimization.
Statista data shows that AI has become part of the daily routines of marketing professionals and is being used to address some of the main bottlenecks in the advertising process. However, its rapid integration is also raising questions about privacy, regulation, creativity, and brand credibility.
Consumers fear AI will eliminate the human side of brands
A survey of 5,000 consumers in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States shows that people recognize tangible advantages in the business use of artificial intelligence.
47% believe it can speed up customer service, while 38% think it can help employees perform their jobs. Another 35% believe it can generate more creative advertising, 32% expect companies to pass AI-driven savings on to consumers, and the same percentage sees opportunities for greater product innovation.
But these benefits coexist with significant concerns.
In addition to the 59% who fear the loss of the human touch, 57% cite job losses as a disadvantage, while another 57% point to the inability to speak with a real person. Some 43% are concerned about privacy or security vulnerabilities, and 40.5% warn about the technology’s potential to mislead consumers.
AI promises to save time and money in marketing
The paradox becomes even more apparent when looking at what is happening inside companies. For marketing professionals, one of the main attractions of artificial intelligence is precisely its efficiency.
Among the marketers surveyed, 57% cite hours saved by full-time employees as one of the main metrics used to evaluate the return on investment from AI. In addition, 43% measure reductions in costs associated with external vendors or agencies, while 38% consider shorter campaign launch cycles.
Financial returns are also beginning to emerge. 37% of marketers reported a return of between two and three times their original investment in artificial intelligence, while 31% generated returns of between one and two times their investment. Only 9% said they had merely broken even.
For companies, therefore, there are financial reasons to continue incorporating these tools.
Dove bets on maintaining human representation
Concerns about authenticity are already influencing the strategies of some companies.
Statista highlights the case of Dove, a brand that has publicly taken a stance against the use of generative artificial intelligence to portray women in its advertising.
The strategy is tied to its commitment to representing different forms of beauty and challenging restrictive beauty standards, amid concerns that AI-generated images could reproduce those same patterns.
The case shows that the discussion is no longer focused solely on whether brands should use artificial intelligence, but rather on where it should be used and when human involvement should be preserved.
Greater efficiency does not automatically mean better advertising
Consumer perception provides another warning sign. Statista notes that audiences do not necessarily reject artificial intelligence itself, but rather unimaginative advertising.
The ability to produce content almost instantly does not eliminate the need to build campaigns capable of generating an emotional response. The report maintains that consumers continue to value genuine creativity.
The new advertising landscape is therefore taking shape around a delicate balance: using AI to gain speed, reduce costs, and personalize campaigns without turning brands into impersonal entities. For advertisers, technological efficiency can become a competitive advantage; preserving the human touch will be necessary to prevent that same efficiency from ultimately weakening the connection with consumers.
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