Marketing Trust Survey 2026: nine in ten marketers say AI content is reducing customer trust
New research from R.R Marketing finds that nine in ten marketers believe AI-generated content is reducing customer trust — and highlights the signals businesses need to protect as AI use grows.
Nine in ten marketers say AI-generated content is reducing customer trust, according to new independent research from R.R Marketing.
The Marketing Trust Survey 2026 surveyed marketers across the UK to understand how the rise of AI-generated content is affecting perceptions of credibility and trust. The headline finding — that 90% of respondents believe AI content is eroding customer trust — points to a growing tension between the efficiency gains AI offers and the authenticity buyers expect. Of those, 48% said AI-generated content was significantly reducing trust and 42% said it was reducing trust slightly.
The research explores which marketing signals still build genuine trust with B2B audiences, which tactics are most likely to undermine credibility, and how buyer expectations have shifted as AI-generated content becomes more widespread.
Other findings from the survey
- 82% believe customer trust is harder to earn than it was five years ago.
- 38% identified too much automation or impersonal communication as the single biggest barrier to trust.
- 58% selected understanding the customer's business or problem as the most important factor in building trust.
- 32% said they had lost a deal or customer because of a lack of trust.
"The findings don't suggest that businesses should stop using AI. They do suggest that how it is used matters.
"AI can help businesses work more efficiently, but producing more content does not necessarily give customers more reasons to trust them. If that content feels generic, impersonal or says little that is genuinely useful, the efficiency may come at a cost.
"One of the clearest messages from the survey is that trust starts with understanding. Customers need to feel that a business understands them and the problem they are trying to solve, not simply that it has found a quicker way to produce more marketing," said Ralph Risk FCIM, founder of R.R Marketing.
He added: "Trust can start to build before someone ever speaks to a business, through what they read, what others say and how consistently the business shows up.
"But what happens when they make contact matters just as much. Do you listen properly? Do you understand their problem? And do you do what you said you would or do you just go into pitch mode?
"That makes trust difficult to pin on one campaign or measure, but it doesn't make it any less important to the business."
The implications for B2B marketing strategy are significant. Businesses that rely heavily on AI-generated content without a clear editorial voice or evidence base risk being seen as less credible by the buyers they are trying to reach.
About the survey
The Marketing Trust Survey 2026 is based on responses from 50 marketing professionals. More than two thirds had over 20 years of marketing experience, while 92% had worked in the profession for at least 11 years. The findings provide an indicative snapshot of this professional group and have not been weighted to represent the wider marketing profession.
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