Marketing Expert: Brands Must Balance AI Use with Authenticity

Colleen Kirk, D.P.S., professor of marketing and management, is featured in an Oswego County Business article about the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in marketing ads and campaigns and, consequently, increased consumer demand for authenticity and human connection. Kirk, who has published research on consumer responses to AI-generated marketing messages, notes that people are becoming increasingly skeptical of the human origin of advertisements. While AI tools offer marketers an exciting new frontier, she notes that these professionals should bear in mind a time-tested principle: authenticity is always best. 

“In recent years, consumers have seen this technology evolve in real time—with increasingly sophisticated AI-generated content infiltrating TV, social media, and other platforms,” Kirk says. “In the new year, brands must figure out how they strike a balance between leveraging AI and reaching consumers in a way that still feels genuine.”