Kantar: Only 23% of Consumers Trust AI Recommendations

In a follow-up to the findings of Kantar's Media Reactions 2026 study, 75% of marketers intend to increase their investment in AI assistants during 2027, compared to only 23% of consumers who trust the recommendations generated by these tools. The study surveyed more than 800 senior marketers and 23,000 consumers across various markets, with the latest figures covering media mix balance, spending on content creators, and CrossMedia measurements.

The study found that 62% of marketers expect generative AI to play a crucial role in brand recommendations, but only 32% of consumers use these tools to research brands and products before making a purchasing decision. This gap reflects a challenge for brands seeking a foothold in algorithm-mediated purchase journeys.

In an indication of media landscape fragmentation, only 50% of advertisers said they have the right balance between brand building and performance marketing, down from 60% in 2025. The percentage of those who trust the accuracy of their media mix reached 57% compared to 64% in the previous year, while only 51% of marketers stated that they translate their data into actionable insights.

On the investment front, micro-content creators were the category marketers expect to increase spending on the most at 66%, followed by nano-creators at 61%, macro-creators at 48%, and mega-creators at 42%. According to Kantar's CrossMedia measurements (LIFT+), 43% of performance between 2020 and 2025 came from channels working together, compared to only 18% before 2014. David Zuluaga, Decision and Strategy Lead at Kantar, said that investment in AI is growing rapidly, but understanding people's relationship with these environments is still in its infancy.

What Do These Terms Mean?

Media Reactions: An annual study conducted by Kantar to measure marketer and consumer attitudes toward advertising platforms and new technologies.

Performance Marketing: Directing ad spend toward measurable results such as sales or clicks, rather than reach alone.

Micro-Content Creators: Influencers with relatively small but highly engaged audiences who are expected to see the highest growth in ad spend.

CrossMedia Measurements: A tool from Kantar that measures the impact of combining multiple advertising channels on results, rather than measuring each channel in isolation.