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Consumer skepticism is changing how brands need to use AI, advertise and earn credibility in 2026. But the figures available here are from consumer surveys and Google’s 2026 outlook—not a Google Trends index or a measured rise in searches about distrust. They show why marketers should take trust seriously, not how often people searched for it.
Does Google Trends show a 2026 surge in consumer distrust?
Not on the evidence summarized here. Google’s December 2025 outlook makes predictions about discovery in 2026 and cites a Google/Ipsos consumer survey, but it does not provide a Google Trends time series for searches about trust, AI-generated marketing or ad avoidance. Nor do the surveys from Gartner, Edelman and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) measure Google searches. Their results are useful signals about consumer attitudes and behavior, but they are not a single index and should not be combined into one “global distrust” score.
Google’s outlook describes discovery as crossing searching, streaming, scrolling and shopping, with AI supporting exploration from broad inspiration to specific product questions. It also advises marketers to recognize people’s immediate wellbeing needs. Those are Google’s forward-looking observations, not evidence that searches for distrust-related phrases increased. The distinction matters: a rise in survey-reported skepticism would not, by itself, prove that people searched more for a particular phrase.
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What are consumers questioning?
Whether information and content are real
In a Gartner survey of 1,539 U.S. adults conducted in October 2025, 61% said they frequently questioned whether information they use for everyday decisions was reliable, and 68% frequently wondered whether content and information they saw was real. These responses describe uncertainty about information, not search behavior.
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Whether AI-heavy brand messaging deserves trust
In a separate Gartner survey of 1,006 U.S. consumers fielded in May–June 2026, 65% said brands produce too much AI-generated content in marketing, and 57% said that content had made them less trusting of brand messaging overall. The finding is about respondents’ reaction to brand marketing; it does not establish that all AI use reduces trust.
Whether advertising merits their attention
In Gartner’s October 2025 U.S. survey of 1,539 adults, 81% said they aimed to ignore and tune out ads, while 52% said they had taken steps to actively block ads. Those are different behaviors: avoiding or tuning out an ad is not the same as blocking it. Gartner’s April 13, 2026 release recommends limiting intrusive and unskippable placements, managing frequency, and making creative concise, relevant and useful. Gartner analyst Emily Weiss put the attention challenge this way: “The brands that respect attention will be the brands consumers remember.”
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Whether a brand is trustworthy enough to buy from
Edelman Trust Institute’s 2026 Brand Growth special report found that 88% of consumers rated trust in a brand an important or critical purchase criterion—close to quality at 89% and equal to value at 88%. The report drew on 17,688 online respondents in 15 countries, interviewed April 23–May 11, 2026. It argues that relevance helps a brand fit consumers’ needs, while trust gives them confidence; customers, peers and other unpaid advocates can carry more credibility than a brand describing itself. Edelman also reported that consumers were almost twice as willing to support a brand expanding to serve new audiences when it had earned both trust and relevance.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchTrust can also involve social distance. In the same Edelman report, 66% said they were hesitant or unwilling to trust someone different from them. Among that 66% subgroup—not all respondents—30% said they were unwilling to use brands used by people who differed from them. This is a reported association, not proof that a particular campaign or customer group caused the response.
Does this mean consumers reject AI?
No. The evidence points to selectivity: consumers may welcome useful assistance while resisting messaging they consider excessive, opaque or inauthentic. Gartner’s May–June 2026 U.S. survey found that 35% relied less on influencers for shopping information and recommendations because AI-generated content was more prevalent; in the same survey, 43% said they relied more on real people. The contrast suggests a credibility challenge for marketing, not a blanket rejection of digital tools or every AI-assisted experience.
There is a separate signal in Gartner’s October 2025 U.S. survey: 50% said they would prefer to give their business to brands that do not use GenAI in consumer-facing messages, advertising or content. Because the question concerns consumer-facing use, it should not be stretched into a claim that half of consumers oppose every behind-the-scenes application of AI.
Rank #4
Gartner analyst Emily Weiss summarized the strategic implication in the March 16, 2026 release: “Marketers should treat GenAI as a trust decision as much as a technology decision.” In practical terms, the question is not simply whether a campaign uses AI. It is whether people can understand its role, find the experience useful, verify important claims and choose a human alternative when they need one.
Where do consumers research and discover brands?
Purchase research increasingly spans more than one channel, but the right mix depends on the decision. BCG describes social platforms as a discovery and evaluation touchpoint and GenAI as an emerging adviser, especially for complex or higher-risk purchases. Its article cites 97% of internet users as active on social platforms at least monthly and says social media was used to gather information in 22% of research-led consumer journeys. Those figures provide context; they do not mean every shopper researches every purchase on social media.
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BCG also reports that 13% of research-led consumers interacted with GenAI tools before buying, while 60% of consumers said they trusted AI-generated results. The article references BCG Consumer Radar research and a November 2025 survey. Keep the scope attached to those figures: they are not a universal estimate for all consumers, markets or purchase types. BCG’s analysis says research-led journeys are more likely for complex or higher-risk categories than for habitual, low-involvement purchases.
Google and Ipsos found that 83% of surveyed global consumers used Google and/or YouTube daily. Google’s article describes a 2024 survey of 52,345 consumers aged 18 and older across the markets listed there. That is a measure of platform use—not proof that users trust Google, YouTube or brands they encounter there.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How should marketers respond to skepticism?
Use evidence to shape the experience, not to declare one universally superior channel or technology. The following comparisons turn the findings into decisions a marketing team can evaluate:
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| Decision | What to prioritize | What to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| AI-assisted messages or experiences | Disclose AI’s role where it affects the customer experience; make assistance genuinely useful; offer control or an opt-out; support claims with evidence; keep a human expert available for consequential questions. | Using AI mainly to multiply generic content, blur who or what is speaking, or make claims customers cannot verify. |
| Ad formats and frequency | Choose relevant, concise creative that delivers utility, education or a positive experience; manage repetition and make it easy to move on. | Relying on intrusive or unskippable placements and treating attention as guaranteed. |
| Channel mix | Match channels to purchase complexity and risk, customers’ research habits, and the credibility of the source they consult. | Assuming one channel performs equally well for routine purchases and high-stakes decisions, or that reach alone creates trust. |
These are decision criteria, not a ranking of platforms. Gartner’s findings support transparency, optional experiences, clear proof points and easy verification for AI use; its advertising guidance favors respect for attention. BCG’s channel analysis supports matching investment to how people research a specific category. Edelman’s findings reinforce the value of earned trust and relevance alongside product quality and price.
Quick Recap
How to turn the findings into a marketing plan
- Separate the problem you are solving. Determine whether customers are questioning the accuracy of information, the authenticity of a message, the amount of advertising, or the brand’s fit with their needs. Those concerns require different responses.
- Audit customer-facing AI. For each use, ask what the customer gains, what role AI plays, whether the use is clear, whether claims can be checked, and whether customers can choose a human interaction where appropriate.
- Review attention costs. Check placement, frequency, skip options and creative length. Test whether the ad offers a relevant reason to pay attention rather than assuming exposure will produce goodwill.
- Map the actual purchase journey. Compare habitual, low-involvement decisions with complex or higher-risk ones. Use customer research and category context to decide where search, social, human expertise or GenAI may support discovery and evaluation.
- Measure trust separately from reach. Platform use, impressions and engagement do not establish confidence in the brand. Track customer perceptions and behavior relevant to the specific concern, and be precise about what each measure can show.
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