Companies Are Losing Consumer Trust Fast

In this modern artificial intelligence era, authenticity is a major factor in whether consumers support companies, Clutch reveals in a new research report.

Ninety-seven percent of consumers said authenticity influences their decisions, and many can quickly spot when companies are performing, it said.

“Consumers instantly recognize the difference between genuine behavior and surface-level authenticity,” says Jeanette Godreau, Clutch analyst. “In an AI-heavy landscape, clarity, consistency, and real human presence are what build trust.”

The report also noted that 85 percent of consumers have purchased from companies because they felt authentic, 62 percent recommend brands that they consider to be authentic, and 70 percent are willing to pay more for brands they perceive as real.

The research also found that consumers view transparency, consistency, and visible humanity as the strongest signals of trust. The top indicators of authenticity include being transparent about processes or materials (69 percent), featuring unfiltered reviews (62 percent), using a distinct brand voice (55 percent), showing human involvement (42 percent), and maintaining consistent messaging (41 percent).

“Authenticity isn’t a tagline. It’s demonstrated through everyday behavior,” Godreau says. “People define authentic brands by honest communication and actions that align with stated values.”

Conversely, the data shows that consumers react quickly to inauthenticity. Declining product quality (61 percent), generic or robotic messaging (59 percent), and values-action mismatches (56 percent) were cited as the fastest trust killers. More than half of consumers also cited trend chasing and heavy AI use as red flags.

According to the report, 87 percent of consumers would stop supporting companies whose actions violated their values.

“An inconsistent or performative brand experience is all it takes for trust to collapse,” Godreau says. “Consumers expect integrity, not perfection.”

And as technology accelerates and content becomes easier to generate, companies must prioritize transparency, human oversight, and long-term consistency, the report says.

“Authenticity is a competitive advantage that compounds over time,” Godreau advises. “Brands that stay grounded in who they are and show it will earn loyalty that lasts.”

Consumers Prefer AI Personas That Reflect Their Identities

As AI deepens its role in shopping, consumers say comfort comes from traits that feel familiar.

Most consumers want to interact with artificial intelligence that reflects their own identities, according to new data from Coresight Research.

The study found that consumers prefer female voices for AI (37 percent) vs. male voices (28 percent). However, 49 percent of female consumers indicate a preference for female voices and 47 percent of male consumers say they prefer AI with male voices. Thirty-five percent say they would not use AI in voice mode.

The overriding trend is that consumers want AI to sound like them, suggesting an affinity for familiarity and connection even when consumers know they are talking with AI, Coresight concludes.

And, as with gender, some consumers prefer AI with accents associated with their own regions, whether in the Midwest, Northeast, or South, though 27 percent of consumers prefer AI with no regional accent at all. Among international options, the leading accents were British (10 percent) followed by Australian (7 percent).

AI’s persona looms larger as the technology becomes more central to the shopping journey. In fact, 58 percent of U.S. consumers have used or plan to use generative AI to shop, the research firm says further, noting that as consumers replace traditional search functions with genAI for their shopping needs, comfort and trust follow when the AI persona matches their own identities.

“Consumers have embraced genAI for shopping, but they want these tools to feel personable and aligned with who they are,” says Deborah Weinswig, Coresight Research’s CEO and founder. “As this technology becomes more accessible, there is now a race to see who can integrate it best. Our research shows that customizable AI personas can strengthen engagement and comfort at a point when retailers are deciding the best path forward.”