Kearney’s survey of more than 7,000 consumers globally found that 44% do not usually trust GenAI compared with 32% which said they don’t usually trust online forums, social media and personal AI assistants. The internet and websites are not trusted by 5% of consumers that were surveyed.
Kearney Consumer Institute lead Katie Thomas says the results likely reflected the “newness” of GenAI.
“We start to see the connection between brands, AI, and trust when analysing what consumers are both concerned and excited about. While consumers enjoy experimenting with newer AI tools and see their potential, they also have a healthy dose of scepticism, with concerns ranging from misinformation and data privacy to heavier concerns such as the loss of human connection or AI taking over,” the report reads.
Kearney says retailers and brands are encouraged to establish consumer trust by balancing related benefits and value and mediating concerns surrounding GenAI.
Thomas recommends addressing trust through three primary avenues: consumer benefit and brand fit; personalisation and data and human/AI connectivity.
“AI can be useful for reducing friction and increasing the efficiency of shopping transactions and the broader experience. Moreover, effective AI algorithms can improve personalisation and curation.
“At the same time, business leaders must recognise that change is hard. For instance, consumers may get frustrated if they are forced to interact with an AI-only customer service system and can’t get past the prompts to reach a real person to explain what they need. Also keep in mind the “change is hard” idea: while there are functional benefits to AI-facilitated shopping, it requires behavioural shifts that people may endorse in theory but resist in reality. Consumer behaviour is also typically slow to change—even if a new option is theoretically faster or easier. And some consumers simply prefer to slowly browse a store rather than to order something online.
“In general, it’s about aligning use of AI with the broader brand narrative and value proposition, rather than using these technologies just because they are available.”
Thomas continues that while AI can generate value in key areas such as efficiency and personalisation, the trust contradiction and technology limitations require placing AI applications largely in an augmentative role rather than using them to replace human interactions altogether.
She suggests exploring areas where consumers would be most comfortable interacting with AI instead of people and applying it in areas where human presence is vital.
“The answers will help to deploy AI where it will serve consumers best and strike key balances such as that between personalisation and data privacy. What’s learned will also illuminate the internal and external AI capabilities required for success.”
“The general goal is to add AI thoughtfully to a broad portfolio of consumer-focused solutions, becoming a proactive, intelligent user of these powerful new technologies while using promotion of consumer trust as the North Star.”
It followed a report in which GlobalData said while a lot of the hype currently around generative AI centres on its ability to create text, retailers can benefit from its ability to enhance engagement through customer service interfaces, improving purchasing journeys through personalised product recommendations and inspiration based on shopping and browsing patterns.
