48% of UK consumers won’t trust a brand that uses AI
Leeds based SEO agency It Works Media, surveyed 1,000 consumers on their opinion towards brands using AI to write content for their websites.
We learnt almost half of the consumers (48%) would not trust a brand that uses AI to write content. 38% voted as ‘not sure’, meaning only 14% said they would trust a brand that does not use a person to write content. Ultimately, this creates a decision for brands on whether it is worth risking losing the loyalty of their customers.
Delving more specifically into the type of written content, some argue that it is not simply a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer whether companies should use AI writing tools. Interestingly, 28% of consumers agreed that travel guides should be written by a person, followed by 17% of consumers voting for financial advice and news. On the lower end, 13% of voters agreed product reviews should be written by a person, and only a few people believe it is valuable that people write blog posts and product descriptions.
Steve Pritchard Managing Director at It Works Media said “We have been asked a number of times by brands on how they can use AI to help streamline content creation and based on these results we always suggest it is done only for research purposes.”
“It is still very early days for the technology and there are a number of questions still on how search engines will value such content which has not been created by an expert. Using AI to create content is a very risky approach, one which may run foul of search engine guidelines and the trust of a customer.”
So how should brands be using AI? The survey results make it clear: don’t use AI to write the most important, opinion-based content. We recommend taking advantage of AI’s encyclopedic knowledge and using it for time-consuming topic ideation and keyword research. AI writing tools can send technical information and lists of keywords that would produce the same results as a person, but speedier. Within a few seconds, this technology can save precious working time.
Pritchard continues: “AI will not be replacing the trust, human emotion, and experience of a content writer anytime soon. Perhaps due to the new (and therefore unfamiliar nature) of the technology, consumers cannot fully put their full confidence in it just yet. It is important to think of the effects of this new technology before brands replace their talented content writers with AI.”
Details of It Works Media’s past successes can be found on the agency’s website.
