As businesses and marketers, we’ve spent the last few years obsessed with the “how” of Artificial Intelligence – how it can streamline our workflows, how it can cut costs, and how it can help us make more money. But we’ve been so preoccupied with the fear of being ‘left behind’ in this new era that we have spent far too little time asking about the “who.” Who are we actually using this technology for, and do they actually care about our newfound obsession with generative tools? The answer, as I found out from real, everyday consumers this week, is ‘yes’.
We need to stop underestimating the modern consumer. They are becoming more AI-savvy by the day, and their eye for generated content is sharper than we think. A quote in the recent Canva ‘State of Marketing and AI Report, 2026’ really stood out to me and sums it up well:
“AI investment and optimism are accelerating faster than consumer trust.”
This is something I witnessed myself in real time, and it very much got me thinking about how often we consider the consumer amidst all the benefits AI can bring to our organisations. Just yesterday, while scrolling through social media, an UpCircle advert caught my eye. If you aren’t familiar, they are a popular natural beauty brand known for their coffee-based, ‘upcycled’ skincare and ethical ethos.
However, it wasn’t the product that grabbed my attention in the midst of my doom-scroll – it was the comment section. Comments like “Stop using AI slop in your ads” and “I’ve already seen three AI-generated ads from you today” dominated the thread. Consumers weren’t just scrolling on by; they were pausing to express genuine disappointment. Intrigued, I expanded the comment section.
To their credit, UpCircle was present in the comments, responding gracefully. They explained that, as a small team, they are using AI to amplify their brand and compete with the industry giants. And honestly? In my opinion, they should. In 2026, it is becoming nearly impossible to remain competitive without these tools.
But it’s not about if we use it; it’s about how we use them.
Mission VS Machine
What struck me most was the level of awareness from everyday consumers. As a marketer at a Salesforce consultancy, my exposure to the world of AI is likely much broader than that of my fellow consumers, so I almost felt pride in their astute criticism and their demand for better treatment as brand patrons. They weren’t just annoyed by the aesthetics; they were frustrated by the perceived hypocrisy. They questioned how a company built on wellness, ethics, and sustainability could lean so heavily into high-scale AI generation.
When I visited UpCircle’s website, their mission was clear: “Better for you, better for the world.” Now, UpCircle is a BCorp, and have been since 2022, they clearly care about their community and the environmental impact of their activity. Of course they do, that’s how they built their brand in the first place. But we can’t forget that this is indeed a brand, a business. And a business must be efficient; it must survive. This deep dive into my social media on a Monday night really got me thinking about the balance and the use of AI for good. And without spending hours researching, what do I know? UpCircle may completely offset the environmental footprint made by their use of AI. In fact, as a company currently in the process of BCorp certification – I can tell you that this is essentially a requirement.
I’m not judging a small business for using AI – I use it myself, how could I? I work for a company that develops it! But the purpose of writing this isn’t about UpCircle. They are simply doing what every business is doing: trying to survive. And I’ll bet that, as a small BCorp, they are probably doing a lot more than most businesses to negate the environmental impact of their AI use. A quick scroll on their social media pages unearths thoughtful, environmentally conscious, REAL content. They have simply decided to use an LLM to speed up their ad creation.
So, no, this isn’t a criticism of a beauty brand. In fact, they actually appear to be using AI responsibly. I was simply inspired by this comments section to really think about the modern consumer. Yes, there are the people that fall for videos of dogs nursing injured bunnies back to health, or more seriously the slew of AI scams that are popping up at an alarming rate, but the average consumer is much more awake than businesses may think. They are rejecting AI ‘slop’, swiping up on generated content, turning up their noses at unhelpful digital agents.
The damage here isn’t just bad ad performance; it’s the erosion of customer loyalty. When a brand known for “natural” and “human” values pivots to “synthetic” and “automated,” the cognitive dissonance (discomfort caused by contradiction) for the consumer is jarring. If we use AI to free up time in our day-to-day operations, we must have a plan for that time. We shouldn’t use it just to produce more noise; we should use that conserved energy to pour back into the consumer experience.
The brands that will succeed in this era of technology are not the ones that automate the most. They are the ones who use automation to be more human and serve our fellow humans better. We must do right by our audience. Because at the end of the day, if we lose their trust in the pursuit of efficiency, we’ve lost the very thing that makes a brand worth building in the first place.
The brands that keep their customer, and subsequently humans, at the centre are the ones that will win the AI race, and not the other way around.
Lauren Tovey – Marketing Manager – Performa