Auros Study Finds Consumers Wary of AI Retail Ads, but Open to AI as a Shopping Tool

BELLEVUE, Wash., Oct. 16, 2026- Consumers are increasingly encountering AI-generated ads but remain wary of whether products marketed with AI will match their descriptions, according to new research from Auros, the human network behind AI.

A new global study of 4,000 adults across the U.S., U.K., and Australia, commissioned by Auros and conducted by Talker Research, found that consumers are increasingly feeling duped by products advertised with AI, with 47% of Brits, 43% of Americans, and 42% of Australians saying they have felt duped before. More than half of respondents in each country also said they don't trust products advertised with AI to be described accurately, including 59% of Australians, 58% of Brits, and 53% of Americans.

Yet the study also found that AI is becoming a more accepted part of the shopping experience and that the majority of respondents are planning on using it for some part of their holiday shopping this year.

"There's a fascinating trust divide emerging around AI in commerce," says Bobby Meixner, Vice President of Marketing at Auros. "Consumers are skeptical when AI is being used to persuade them, but much more receptive when they're the ones using AI to make a better decision. People aren't necessarily rejecting AI in shopping. They're rejecting the feeling that AI is being used on them rather than for them."

Consumers Question Whether AI-Advertised Products are Real

Consumers globally say they regularly encounter products advertised using some form of AI (50% in the U.K., 47% in Australia, and 44% in the U.S.) and question whether an online ad features a real or AI-generated product four times a week.

Across all three markets, consumers also expressed concern that AI-generated advertising could signal lower product quality.

• 42% of Australians, 42% of Brits and 36% of Americans believe products are lower quality when AI is used in their marketing.
• 48% of Brits, 45% of Australians and 44% of Americans said they go out of their way to do business with brands that do not use AI in their advertising.

The findings also reveal a gap between consumers' confidence in identifying AI-generated products and their actual ability to do so: 47% of Brits, 44% of Americans, and 34% of Australians said they feel confident determining whether a product image is real or AI-generated. When shown a series of real products, AI-enhanced products and entirely AI-generated products, respondents frequently misidentified what they were seeing. Images of real products enhanced with AI caused the most confusion across all three markets. Only 20% of Americans, 20% of Australians and 18% of Brits correctly identified these products as real but heavily enhanced with AI.

Consumers See Practical Value in AI Shopping Tools

Despite their concerns about AI-generated ads, consumers still see clear value in using AI to support their own shopping decisions and nearly half of respondents say AI has helped them while shopping: 56% in the U.K., 53% in the U.S., and 48% in Australia.

When asked how AI has helped them, the breakdown was:

• 24% of U.S. adults, 24% of U.K. adults, and 22% of Australian adults said AI has helped them find the most affordable price possible
• 23% of U.K. adults, 22% of U.S. adults, and 21% of Australian adults said AI has helped them find product reviews
• Across all three markets 22% of respondents said AI has helped them identify alternative products to what they were looking for

AI Expected to Play a Role in Holiday Shopping

The majority of respondents say they plan to use AI for some part of their holiday shopping this year (55% of U.K. adults, 54% of U.S. adults, and 48% of Australians).

The most common planned uses include finding the best prices, comparing product reviews, finding gift ideas and discovering deals. Consumers also said AI could help them shop for others more efficiently.

• 38% of Brits, 37% of Americans, and 29% of Australians believe AI will make it easier to find gifts
• 56% of Brits and Australians said they pay closer attention to what they purchase online when shopping for someone else than for themselves
• Americans and Brits spend an average of four hours shopping for their significant other and children during the holidays, while Australians spend an average of 3.6 hours

"AI could be the biggest change to e-commerce since e-commerce itself. Online shopping has always been an experience designed by the retailer," continued Bobby. "AI flips that model: the shopper can now have an experience assembled around them, using information from across the internet rather than from one retailer alone. That could solve personalization at a scale retailers never could, but it also fundamentally changes who controls the shopping journey."

About the Study

The study was commissioned by Auros and conducted by Talker Research. A total of 4,000 adults were surveyed between August 26 to September 1, 2026, including a nationally representative sample of adults across the U.S. (2,000), U.K. (1,000), and Australia (1,000).

About Auros

Auros, headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, provides the customer insights and human expertise that product, marketing, and AI research teams need to succeed in the AI era. Backed by a network of 7.6 million verified people and two decades of recruiting and verification infrastructure, Auros is also the company behind UserTesting and User Interviews. Learn more at aurosglobal.com.