Here’s a fun fact to ruin your day: you make about 40,000 decisions every day. Impressive until you realise 99% of them are subconscious. That means your brain’s at full tilt playing puppet master while you’re just cruising along thinking you’re in control. How fabulous.
Now throw AI into the mix, (everyone’s favourite buzzword and business saviour) and things get even spicier. We love AI. We use it. We even talk to it. But we don’t trust it and that’s where things get weird.
Let’s break it down:
• People perceive AI as human. Not in a “wow, that’s clever code” way. More like “this chatbot just gets me” way.
• It’s called anthropomorphising and it’s why 73% of kids think robots are basically much better versions of their siblings.
• Chatting to AI, especially with voice, makes it feel even more human. It’s like Alexa’s your bezzy mate who always listens but never judges you for ordering Uber Eats at 10am.
• And if you’re feeling a bit lonely (like 73% of Gen Z who say they are), turns out you’re way more likely to spill your innermost thoughts to a talking toaster than an actual person. AI becomes the digital shoulder to cry on.
But, and here’s the kicker, mention AI in your product descriptions, and buyer intent drops like a stone. Why? Because we don’t trust it with our shopping baskets.
• 88% of customers say trust is a dealbreaker. So while they’re whispering secrets to ChatGPT, they’ll ghost your brand if it smells too... artificial.
So, what does this mean for marketing?
You’re not selling to a logical brain. You’re selling to a subconscious soup of emotion, instinct, and deeply buried trust issues. If AI’s in your tech stack (and let’s be honest, it is), don’t lead with the code. Lead with the connection.
Make it warm. Make it human. Make it trustworthy.
Because your buyers don’t want to date a robot. They just want to feel seen.
Want help turning your clever AI thing into something people actually want to buy? Let’s have a natter. Cheeky by name, clever (and human) by nature.