Consumer enthusiasm for artificial intelligence has fallen sharply, with only 19 percent of users in 2026 saying they feel excited about AI, down from 50 percent just two years earlier, according to figures cited in coverage of the AI advertising backlash. The decline reflects a broad shift in sentiment driven by overexposure and declining trust in digital content.

Fatigue is now widespread. About 54 percent of Americans report experiencing AI fatigue, a signal of growing frustration with the volume and quality of AI generated communication. The trend was underscored when the term slop, used to describe low quality AI output, was named Merriam Webster word of the year for 2025.

The sentiment data is reshaping how brands market. Rather than showcasing AI generated creative, companies including Aerie, Equinox, and Almond Breeze have run campaigns that openly mock AI slop and tech gimmicks. One campaign featured well known musicians rejecting cheaply produced AI ads, turning consumer skepticism into a selling point built around human made content.

The backlash has consequences for specific brands as well. Fashion companies that leaned on generative AI for models and product imagery drew complaints from shoppers who questioned the authenticity of what they were being sold. The combined picture is of a market where audiences have grown wary of synthetic content, pushing some advertisers to emphasize human involvement rather than automation as a point of differentiation.

Source: Inc. - https://www.inc.com/annabel-burba/the-ai-ad-backlash-is-here-and-big-brands-are-leaning-in/91285342