Marketers Bet Big on AI, but Consumers Still Don't Trust It: Kantar
Updated: 6 days ago
Kantar's Media Reactions 2026 study reveals a widening gap: 62% of marketers expect generative AI to be central to brand recommendations and 75% plan to invest more in AI assistants for 2027, yet only about a quarter of consumers trust product recommendations from tools like ChatGPT.
What Kantar Found
The study, which surveyed 806 senior marketing decision-makers and 23,452 consumers across 33 markets including Germany, lays bare a disconnect. On the marketer side, 62% see generative AI as central to future brand recommendations and 75% plan increased investment in AI assistants for 2027.
On the consumer side, only around 25% say they trust product recommendations from ChatGPT and similar tools. Marketers are also increasingly questioning the effectiveness of their own media mix, adding to the uncertainty.
The Trust Gap Is the Story
This is the central tension of AI marketing in 2026: the industry is racing to build on a channel its own customers do not yet trust. Investment is running well ahead of consumer confidence.
That gap is not a reason to stop, but it is a warning against over-rotating. A recommendation engine only creates value if the audience believes it; pouring budget into AI-assistant placements before trust catches up risks efficiency without effect.
Why Consumers Are Wary
Consumer scepticism is rational. AI recommendations can feel opaque, occasionally wrong, and hard to distinguish from paid placement, exactly the concerns that erode trust in any recommendation source.
The brands that win here will be the ones that treat AI as an assistant to be earned into, not a shortcut around trust. Transparency about how recommendations are generated will become a competitive edge, not a compliance chore.
What Marketers Should Do
Invest in AI capability, but pace it to consumer readiness. Test AI-assistant presence, measure whether it actually drives consideration, and be honest about where it underperforms human or earned channels.
Above all, keep building the brand trust that makes any recommendation credible. In a low-trust environment, a strong brand is the asset that makes an AI's suggestion believable, not the other way round.
Quick FAQ
What is Kantar's Media Reactions 2026 study?
An annual Kantar study surveying 806 senior marketers and 23,452 consumers across 33 markets, including Germany, on media and AI attitudes.
How much do consumers trust AI recommendations?
Only about 25% of consumers say they trust product recommendations from tools like ChatGPT, even as 62% of marketers see AI as central to future recommendations.
Are marketers investing more in AI?
Yes. 75% plan increased investment in AI assistants for 2027, well ahead of current consumer trust in AI-driven recommendations.
The industry is racing to build on a channel its own customers don't yet trust, and that gap is the whole story. AI can lift efficiency, but a recommendation only creates value if the audience believes it. Pace your AI investment to consumer readiness, and keep building the brand trust that makes any recommendation credible in the first place. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
Marketer enthusiasm for AI is running far ahead of consumer trust, so pace AI investment to readiness and keep building the brand equity that makes any recommendation believable.
Do you trust AI product recommendations, and would you spend ahead of your customers here? Tell us your view.
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Kantar (Media Reactions 2026) and Campaign Germany.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
