Most B2C marketers have concerns about negative customer perceptions of gen AI

In a poll of 317 B2C digital marketers by marketing software company SOCi 72% said they have at least some concerns that customers who find out gen AI is in use will have negative perceptions of the use of gen AI, or that brand trust will be negatively impacted.

279 of the survey respondents said they were aware of generative AI tools, and 181 said their companies are already using them.

Degree of concern about use of AI varied among respondents:

• 13% said they are "concerned".
• 39% said they are "somewhat concerned"
• 19% said they are "not too concerned" - because they believe customers are open to the use of AI
• 21% said they were neither concerned nor unconcerned
• 7% said they were "unconcerned"

Biggest AI opportunities as seen by respondents:

1. Personalized marketing, cited by 32%
2. Automation of routine tasks (25%)
3. Content development (22%)
4. Data analysis (19%)

How often marketers said they use AI tools:

• Often (51%)
• Sometimes (29%)
• Always (16%)
• Rarely (4%)

How respondents said AI has affected marketing or advertising efficiency:

• Significantly increased (40%)
• Minimally increased (32%)
• No change (15%)
• Unsure (12%)

Comment: These numbers are based on a very small sample: 181 marketers whose companies are already actually using gen AI in marketing. And there's great diversity in degree of use of AI, and in perceptions of the results. Under those conditions, I believe the question of risk vs. reward of the use of gen AI in marketing is still unanswered. Stay tuned for updates as new data become available.