Observed Signal · May 25, 2026 · Research Report · Source: https://marketingtechnews.net/feed/ · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Canva report: Consumers want useful AI ads, value humans
Canva's 2026 State of Marketing and AI report, conducted with The Harris Poll, finds consumers accept AI in advertising when it increases relevance or usefulness but still prefer human-made ads. The survey of 1,415 marketing leaders and 3,547 consumers across seven countries shows 68% of consumers do not mind AI in ads if it improves helpfulness, while 78% would rather see ads made by people and 87% believe advertising still needs a human touch. Marketing leaders report near-universal AI use in creative work (97%) and nearly all plan to increase AI investment in 2026 (99%). The study highlights a trust gap—consumers describe low-quality generative output as “AI slop”—and signals demand for disclosure and formal organisational policies on AI-generated advertising.
Survey from a major creative platform (Canva) provides actionable consumer insights about AI-generated advertising and trust, affecting creative strategy and disclosure policies across marketers and adtech vendors.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Canva published the 2026 State of Marketing and AI report in partnership with The Harris Poll.
- The study surveyed 1,415 marketing leaders and 3,547 consumers across the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, and India.
- 68% of consumers said they do not mind AI in ads when it makes them more helpful or relevant; 78% said they would rather see ads made by people.
- 97% of marketing leaders use AI in daily creative work and 99% plan to increase AI investment in 2026.
- Consumers raised concerns about low-quality generative output labelled as “AI slop” and 74% would feel more comfortable with AI advertising if organisations had formal policies governing its use.
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Related Market Signals & Shifts
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Canva Report: Marketers Embrace AI, Consumers Worry
Canva released the third edition of “The State of Marketing and AI,” a study conducted with The Harris Poll that surveyed 1,415 marketing leaders and 3,547 consumers across seven countries. The report finds near-universal marketer adoption of AI for creative work (97% use AI daily) and almost all plan to raise AI budgets in 2026 (99%). At the same time, consumers express mistrust and discomfort with AI-generated ads — 70% say such ads are “missing their soul,” 87% say the best advertising still needs a human touch, and 74% would feel more comfortable if formal policies governed AI use. The study highlights time savings and organizational impact from AI (89% save ≥4 hours/week) while warning of risks like generic, emotionally flat “AI slop.” Canva emphasizes governance, creative judgment, and intentional integration as priorities as AI scales in marketing.
Consumers Want AI Ads with a Human Touch
A Canva report, highlighted by MarTech, finds consumers are ambivalent about AI-generated marketing: they value relevance and helpful personalization but react negatively to content that feels robotic, emotionally empty, or invasive. Major findings include that 70% of respondents can spot AI-generated ads, 74% are more likely to buy from ads they believe were created entirely by humans, and 87% say the best advertising still needs a human touch. Consumers accept AI when it improves usefulness (68%), but demand data protection (53%), disclosure of AI use (52%), and an opt-out option (37%). Younger cohorts are more tolerant of AI polish if humans remain involved.
Marketers Trust AI to Buy Media, Not Build Brands
Marketing leaders are increasingly using AI to automate programmatic media buying, bidding and creative iteration, but remain cautious about letting AI define brand meaning, voice or core creative strategy. Executives from agencies and brands — including Motto, Ally Bank, Duluth and Mondelez — say AI is valuable for efficiency and scale (bidding, brainstorming, asset scaling) but that human oversight is required for brand insight and messaging. Consumer research cited (Canva’s 2026 report) shows mixed sentiment: many shoppers accept AI-driven relevance but a larger share prefer human-made ads. Platform vendors such as Google and Canva have released AI marketing tools, yet adoption for full creative ownership remains limited across marketers.
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