Consumers demand AI transparency from brands, global study finds

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

An overwhelming 86% of consumers across seven countries say brands should disclose when content has been created using generative artificial intelligence, according to a new global report released Monday by media intelligence firm Meltwater and research group YouGov.

The report, titled “Trust in the Age of Generative AI,” drew on survey responses from 9,869 adults across Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The survey was conducted from Feb. 26 to March 5, 2026.

The study found that while 39% of respondents said they were excited about a future with more generative AI, a majority — 51% — disagreed. Positive sentiment toward AI in online conversations also declined over the study period, dropping from 22% in mid-2025 to 17% by February 2026, according to Meltwater’s social and media monitoring data.

The findings carry significant implications for newsrooms. Only 21% of consumers found AI use acceptable in news reporting, compared to 71% who said it was not. Political advertising fared even worse, with just 18% acceptance against 73% opposition. By contrast, acceptance was higher in entertainment content (53%) and product advertising (47%).

Misinformation emerged as the top concern. Nearly three-quarters of respondents (73%) said they worried that AI-generated content could be used to create fake news or scams. Additionally, 69% expressed concern that such content may contain incorrect or misleading information, and 67% feared it would become difficult to distinguish human-made content from AI-generated material.

The report revealed a net trust penalty for brands that use AI. Across all markets, 32% of consumers said they would trust a brand less if they knew its content was AI-generated. Only 15% said it would increase their trust. The trust gap was sharpest in the United Kingdom, where 42% said AI-generated content would reduce their confidence in a brand, followed by the United States at 34% and Germany at 30%.

Misleading or deceptive AI content was the strongest trust-breaker, cited by 63% of respondents. Failure to disclose AI use followed at 59%. Nearly half (49%) said their trust would decline if AI replaced human creators entirely, and 45% said the same if AI was used for sensitive topics such as news, health, or politics.

Consumer confidence in detecting AI content was notable but contradictory. While 58% believed they could spot AI-generated material, 87% were worried that people in general would struggle to tell the difference between real and fabricated content. Younger respondents were far more confident: 80% of those aged 18 to 24 said they could identify AI content, compared to 40% of those 55 and older.

Enthusiasm for AI split along demographic lines. Men (45%) were more likely than women (34%) to express excitement. Among age groups, those 25 to 34 were most enthusiastic at 48%, while excitement dropped to 31% among those 55 and older. Germany (56%) and Singapore (55%) were the only markets where excitement outweighed skepticism.

Meltwater’s analysis of online conversations found that AI mentions rose 53% between March 2025 (10.3 million) and February 2026 (15.8 million), with traditional media accounting for 34% of total mentions. Individual creators on social media drove 92% of the most engaging posts, with TikTok leading, while traditional online news accounted for just 8%.

AI video content showed the strongest growth among formats. Posts referencing AI video tripled between March 2025 and February 2026, and engagement surged 557%. AI video posts averaged 206 interactions per post and generated greater positive sentiment than AI imagery. Reddit accounted for 29% of AI video mentions and was the platform with the most negative sentiment (21%), while TikTok audiences were the most optimistic at 40% positive sentiment.

The demand for government regulation was strong across all markets. On average, 85% of respondents agreed there should be greater government regulation of AI usage and disclosure in content creation. Support was highest in Australia, Singapore, and the U.K. at 89%, and lowest in the U.S. at 80%.

“These insights show that trust is not being lost, it’s being redefined,” said Chris Hackney, chief product officer at Meltwater. “Generative AI gives brands a powerful new way to connect with audiences, but success will depend on how transparently and thoughtfully it’s used. The brands that lead with clarity and accountability have a real opportunity to build deeper trust than ever before.”

“Generative AI has moved from novelty to normality at remarkable speed,” said Andrew Farmer, global head of PR and editorial at YouGov. “PR and brand professionals now operate in a landscape where the line between human and machine-generated content is increasingly blurred. It is important for comms teams and brand insight analysts to understand how Generative AI is shaping how audiences interpret authenticity, credibility and trust. YouGov’s data suggests that ultimately, the brands that succeed in the generative era may not simply be those that adopt AI fastest, but those that earn and maintain the trust of the audiences they serve.”

Among the report’s other findings: 59% of respondents were concerned about personal or sensitive data being used without permission; 58% said there may not be enough rules governing AI use; 58% worried AI may copy or reuse people’s work without credit; and 57% feared the technology could reduce job opportunities for writers, artists, and other creators.

The most recognized benefit of generative AI was speed and efficiency, cited by 42% of respondents. This was followed by multilingual content creation (40%), idea generation (39%), and error reduction (39%). Singaporeans were consistently the most positive about AI’s benefits, including saving time (56%) and reducing errors (53%). The U.K. and the U.S. were the most skeptical.

Meltwater is a global media, social, and consumer intelligence company with 27,000 customers, 50 offices across six continents, and 2,200 employees. YouGov is a global research and data analytics group with operations across 64 markets.

The full report is available at meltwater.com.