Raptive study shows AI content cuts reader trust by half

A comprehensive study conducted by Raptive found that suspected AI-generated content reduces reader trust by nearly 50%, according to research reported on July 15, 2025. The findings reveal implications for brands advertising alongside content perceived as artificially created.

According to reports, the study commissioned by Raptive, which surveyed 3,000 U.S. adults, people's trust in content drops dramatically when they believe it was created by artificial intelligence rather than humans. "This skepticism also hits brands directly," the research found, documenting a 14% decline in both purchase consideration and willingness to pay a premium for products advertised alongside content perceived as AI-made.

Summary

Who: Raptive, a content monetization company, surveyed 3,000 U.S. adults to measure consumer responses to AI-generated content and its impact on adjacent advertising performance.

What: Research revealed that suspected AI content reduces reader trust by nearly 50% and decreases brand advertisement effectiveness by 14% in purchase consideration metrics.

When: The study was published on July 15, 2025, with Raptive commissioning the research to understand advertising performance impacts alongside AI-generated content.

Where: The research focused on U.S. consumer perceptions across multiple content verticals including travel, food, finance, and parenting topics with paired brand advertisements.

Why: Growing prevalence of AI-generated content across digital platforms prompted investigation into consumer trust impacts and resulting effects on advertising performance and brand perception.

Trust erosion affects brand perception

The research demonstrates that consumer suspicion extends beyond content evaluation to brand assessment. Paul Bannister, Chief Strategy Officer at Raptive, explained the business implications: "This goes back to the story of advertisers working with trusted partners where you know their policies, and advertisers know partners are doing the right thing to make sure your ads appear in the right places."

When participants believed content was AI-generated, they rated advertisements 17% less premium, 19% less inspiring, 16% more artificial, 14% less relatable, and 11% less trustworthy. The study revealed these perceptions persist regardless of whether content was actually created by artificial intelligence or human writers.

Anna Blender, Senior Vice President of Data Strategy & Insights at Raptive, highlighted the most surprising discovery: "When people thought something was AI-generated, they rated that content much worse across metrics like trust and authenticity, regardless of whether it was really AI generated or not. That also impacted the ads they saw next to the content, deemed as less trustworthy."

Methodology reveals perception impact

The research methodology involved showing participants five articles from various verticals including travel, food, finance, and parenting, each paired with relevant branded advertisements. Half of the articles were AI-generated, while others were human-created. The study examined how labeling affected perception by telling 300 participants content was AI-made and another 300 that identical content was written by humans.

Results showed participants who believed content was AI-generated were 14% less likely to consider purchasing products featured in adjacent advertisements. This finding suggests the emergence of what researchers term "AI stink"—growing consumer distrust when content feels artificially generated.

Industry implications for advertising performance

The study's findings carry direct financial implications for advertisers. Bannister quantified the impact: "If you're buying an ad, say, at $5 CPM, and this ad is performing 15% worse than the other one, there's your loss. That's real money, and your media investment is far less efficient."

The timing coincides with growing industry attention on AI content quality. Recent developments in brand safety verification have shown sophisticated content classification systems can address overblocking concerns while maintaining advertiser standards. DoubleVerify's partnership with Vodafone demonstrated that AI-powered brand suitability strategies can actually expand inventory access by 10% when properly calibrated.

Content quality versus user intent

Rotem Shaul, CEO at Primis, provided additional perspective on content effectiveness factors beyond AI involvement. "Content quality undoubtedly matters. Whether it's AI-generated or poorly produced human content, brands always benefit from high-quality associations," Shaul noted. "AI-generated content will rapidly improve, potentially closing the quality gap. However, beyond just quality, user intention will remain decisive, and intentions don't shift easily."

Shaul's analysis distinguishes between browsing environments where users maintain "idle, discovery-oriented mindset" and intentional contexts like search where users approach tasks with clear goals. This framework suggests AI content performance may vary significantly across different advertising environments.

Publisher network responses

Raptive has taken a definitive stance against what industry observers call "AI Slop"—low-quality, mass-produced AI content. The company banned such content from its network in 2023, subsequently rejecting thousands of creators and removing dozens of sites that changed strategies. Bannister acknowledged the financial cost: "This has cost us real money (all of those sites go to our competitors), but we know it's the right choice for our business, our creators' and publishers' businesses, our advertisers' performance, and the long-term health of the internet."

The publisher's position reflects broader industry concerns about content authenticity. Research on faceless marketing trends shows that 86% of consumers value authenticity in advertising, supporting questions about completely anonymous content approaches.

Technical implementation challenges

The study addresses growing technical complexities in content classification. Current AI detection systems face accuracy limitations, while consumer perception often relies on subjective quality assessments rather than technical verification. Recent advances in content credentials technology show promise for maintaining provenance metadata, though widespread adoption remains limited.

Cloudflare's implementation of Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) standards demonstrates potential technical solutions. The system preserves cryptographic signatures throughout content transformations, enabling verification through services like contentcredentials.org. However, such technical measures require industry-wide adoption to address consumer trust concerns effectively.

Revenue impact measurements

The research quantifies specific performance decreases across key advertising metrics. Beyond the 14% decline in purchase consideration, the study documented reduced emotional connection and perceived authenticity scores. These measurements align with established advertising research showing content adjacency effects on brand perception.

For programmatic advertising, the findings suggest need for enhanced content classification beyond traditional brand safety measures. IAB Tech Lab's AI in Advertising Primer provides frameworks for evaluating AI applications against brand requirements, though implementation varies across advertising platforms.

Future research directions

Raptive plans to release comprehensive study details in coming weeks, promising deeper insights into consumer AI content perception. The research builds on growing industry focus on advertising measurement accuracy. Recent analysis of AI response accuracy revealed that one in five AI-generated advertising strategy recommendations contain inaccuracies, highlighting broader trust concerns.

The study's methodology could inform future research comparing performance-oriented campaigns alongside AI-generated versus human-created content. Shaul suggested such comparative analysis would provide "essential insights, not just for today, but for the digital landscape we'll navigate in five years."

Marketing community implications

These findings matter significantly for digital marketing professionals managing content strategy and advertising placement decisions. The research suggests marketers must balance content production efficiency with consumer trust maintenance. Meta's recent AI advertising tool announcements indicate platform providers continue expanding AI capabilities despite consumer skepticism.

The disconnect between platform AI investment and consumer trust creates strategic challenges for advertising professionals. While AI tools promise improved efficiency and targeting capabilities, the Raptive study suggests these benefits may be offset by reduced advertising effectiveness when consumers detect artificial content creation.

Key terminology explained

AI Slop refers to low-quality, mass-produced content created by artificial intelligence systems with minimal human oversight or quality control. This term emerged from online communities to describe AI-generated material that lacks authenticity, contains factual errors, or appears formulaic. AI Slop typically floods digital platforms with high-volume, low-value content designed primarily to generate advertising revenue rather than provide genuine value to readers.

Brand Safety encompasses strategies and technologies that ensure advertisements appear alongside appropriate content that aligns with brand values and avoids potentially damaging associations. This includes preventing ads from appearing next to controversial topics, inappropriate imagery, or content that could negatively impact brand perception. Brand safety measures use both automated classification systems and human review processes to maintain advertiser reputation.

Content Adjacency describes the relationship between advertising content and the editorial or user-generated content that appears nearby on digital platforms. This positioning significantly influences consumer perception of both the advertisement and the brand, as users often transfer their feelings about surrounding content to the advertised products or services. Positive adjacency can enhance brand perception, while negative adjacency can damage advertiser credibility.

CPM (Cost Per Mille) represents the price advertisers pay for one thousand advertisement impressions served to users. This metric allows advertisers to compare costs across different platforms and campaign strategies. CPM calculations help determine advertising efficiency and budget allocation decisions, with higher-performing placements typically commanding premium CPM rates due to better audience engagement and conversion potential.

Programmatic Advertising utilizes automated systems and algorithms to purchase and place digital advertisements in real-time auctions. This technology analyzes user data, content context, and advertiser requirements to make bidding decisions within milliseconds. Programmatic platforms optimize campaign performance through machine learning algorithms that adjust targeting parameters and bid amounts based on performance data.

Pre-bid Controls enable advertisers to establish content filtering criteria before advertisements are served to users, preventing ads from appearing alongside unsuitable material. These systems analyze content characteristics, context, and quality metrics during the auction process, blocking ad placements that fail to meet advertiser standards. Pre-bid controls offer more proactive brand protection compared to post-bid measurement and blocking systems.

Universal Content Intelligence represents advanced artificial intelligence systems that analyze multiple content elements simultaneously, including text, images, audio, and video components. These comprehensive classification engines provide more accurate content categorization than single-signal analysis methods. The technology enables nuanced understanding of content context, sentiment, and appropriateness for advertising placements.

Purchase Consideration measures consumer likelihood to buy specific products or services after exposure to marketing messages. This metric quantifies advertising effectiveness beyond immediate clicks or conversions, capturing intent changes that may lead to future purchases. Purchase consideration surveys typically measure shifts in brand awareness, product interest, and buying probability following advertising exposure.

Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) establishes technical standards for tracking digital content creation and modification history through cryptographic signatures and metadata. This framework enables verification of content authenticity, creator attribution, and editing processes throughout the content lifecycle. C2PA implementation helps combat misinformation and provides transparency about AI involvement in content creation.

Attention Index quantifies user engagement quality by measuring factors such as viewability duration, interaction patterns, and engagement depth relative to industry benchmarks. This metric evaluates whether advertising environments successfully capture and maintain audience focus, providing insights into content effectiveness beyond basic impression counts. Higher attention scores indicate more valuable advertising placements that deliver stronger audience engagement.

Timeline

• 2023: Raptive implements AI Slop ban across publisher network
• April 14, 2025: DoubleVerify launches pre-bid video controls for TikTok brand safety
• June 17, 2025: Meta announces generative AI advertising capabilities at Cannes Lions
• July 10, 2025: WordStream publishes AI accuracy study findings
• July 15, 2025: Vodafone increases news inventory 10% with AI brand suitability
• July 15, 2025: Raptive publishes comprehensive AI content trust study