WordPress VIP study: 60% of consumers turned off by 'AI' in brand messaging

WordPress VIP, the enterprise arm of Automattic, released a survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers and enterprise decision-makers that highlights a growing trust gap around AI. 60% of consumers say brands using 'AI' in their messaging is a turnoff, and 86% don't fully trust AI-generated answers, preferring to explore original sources. More strikingly, 42% of respondents trust AI-generated answers without clear attribution less than they trust airline fees, confusing privacy policies, and medical bills. Nearly three in four feel the internet has become 'less human' compared to a decade ago. The report underscores a paradox: while consumers distrust AI, enterprises are doubling down on AI visibility. 60% of enterprise respondents say traffic from AI search engines has increased in the past year, and 74% of decision-makers rank AI discoverability and attribution as a main or significant priority.

Despite the skepticism, human-authored content still wins trust. 33% of consumers say clicking through to see an original source is their top trust signal, and 80% believe web information should remain openly accessible rather than controlled by a few large organizations. WordPress VIP's CTO Brian Alvey noted the challenge: now brands must build websites for both AI agents and human readers. The findings align with Automattic's open web push, including its backing of the open-source WordPress project and protocols like ActivityPub. Brands face a delicate balancing act: optimizing for AI search engines while maintaining transparency and a human touch to retain audience trust.