Creators gain ground as audiences distrust AI-driven content: Report

Creators have found diverse ways of engaging with their audiences. To build a creator-follower relationship, some creators are putting out artificial intelligence-led low-effort content, while others are opting for more authentic manmade creatives, said a TechCrunch report quoting industry executives. The report added that trust in creators has increased 21% year-on-year.

Citing a case study of the creator-commerce platform LTK that helps influencers monetise their content through brand partnerships and affiliate links, the report cautioned about its business model.

LTK leverages affiliate marketing through audience trust in individual creators. This seems to pose an existential threat for such companies amid fragmentation of the creator-audience relationship.


Dhar Mann Studios’ chief executive Sean Atkins said people tend to trust individual creators more than big platforms or brands.

Hence, AI and algorithms are indispensable in the shaping of what people see online as attention has become fragmented and personal. Moreover, 97% of chief marketing officers intend to grow influencer marketing budgets in 2026, the report added.

However, audiences are starting to doubt AI-generated content, product recommendations, etc., which makes algorithm-driven content feel less trustworthy.

Industry executives emphasised that the scepticism will push audiences to seek out more direct ways of connecting with creators, such as paid fan communities and platforms where content is largely controlled by the creator.