{"id":23417,"date":"2026-08-21T00:19:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T00:19:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scannn.com\/americans-arent-sold-on-businesses-using-ai-in-advertising\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T00:19:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T00:19:23","slug":"americans-arent-sold-on-businesses-using-ai-in-advertising","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scannn.com\/lv\/americans-arent-sold-on-businesses-using-ai-in-advertising\/","title":{"rendered":"Americans Aren't Sold on Businesses Using AI in Advertising"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Most Americans say they have recently seen advertisements from businesses that clearly appeared to have been created using artificial intelligence. Views of businesses\u2019 use of AI in advertising are generally more negative than positive, with young adults the most critical.<\/p>\n

The 2026 Bentley University-Gallup Business in Society<\/a> survey finds that nearly eight in 10 Americans (79%) have seen advertisements in the past 30 days that looked like they were made using AI. Nearly half (49%) view businesses\u2019 use of AI to create advertisements negatively, compared with 19% who view it positively. Thirty-two percent are neutral.<\/p>\n

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These findings align with other Bentley-Gallup survey results showing that Americans have grown cooler toward AI<\/a> even as they have become more familiar with it. They also serve as a cautionary signal as businesses quickly expand their use of AI in advertising, from developing creative concepts and writing copy to generating images and videos.<\/p>\n

Americans Are More Accepting When AI Supports Creativity<\/h2>\n

Consumers do not view every business use of AI in advertising the same way. Americans are generally more accepting when AI helps businesses create advertisements than when it replaces real people\u2019s images and voices.<\/p>\n

Three in four U.S. adults (75%) say it is acceptable for businesses to use AI to help employees brainstorm ideas or create early drafts of ads when that use is clearly disclosed. A smaller majority of Americans (53%) also find it acceptable for businesses to use AI to create the final text, images or videos used in advertisements.<\/p>\n

Americans are far less accepting when businesses use AI to create people or voices in ads. Nearly two in three Americans (62%) say that practice is unacceptable, even when businesses clearly disclose that AI was used.<\/p>\n

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Younger U.S. Adults Are the Most Skeptical<\/h2>\n

Consistent with Bentley-Gallup findings and other research<\/a> showing that younger adults have become increasingly skeptical of AI, those aged 18 to 29 (which includes Gen Z) are the most likely to view businesses\u2019 use of AI to create advertisements negatively. Two-thirds (66%) in this age group express negative views, compared with 51% of adults aged 30 to 44, 38% of those aged 45 to 59 and 46% of those aged 60 and older.<\/p>\n

Young adults are also notably less accepting than older Americans of all uses of AI in advertising. In fact, 73% of 18- to 29-year-olds say it\u2019s unacceptable for businesses to use AI to create people or voices in ads \u2014 by far the highest of any age group.<\/p>\n

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Democrats (59%) and independents (49%) are more likely than Republicans (36%) to view businesses\u2019 use of AI in advertising negatively, aligning with Republicans\u2019 relatively higher trust that businesses will use the technology responsibly.<\/p>\n

Republicans are also substantially more likely to view businesses\u2019 use of AI in ads positively, though fewer than three in 10 do so. They are more open than Democrats and independents to using AI to create final advertising content, while majorities across all three political groups frown on using AI to create people or voices in advertisements.<\/p>\n

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Bottom Line<\/h2>\n

Consumers appear willing to accept AI as a creative tool, but they are less comfortable when it replaces people\u2019s images and voices. As businesses expand their use of AI in advertising, the findings suggest that how they use the technology may influence consumers\u2019 opinions about the companies.<\/p>\n

Learn more about how the <\/em>Bentley University-Gallup Business in Society<\/em><\/a> research works.<\/em><\/p>\n

Stay up to date with the latest insights by following @Gallup on X<\/a> and on Instagram<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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