Gartner Survey Finds 49% of U.S. Consumers Say GenAI Has Made Content Quality Worse

A Gartner survey of 307 U.S. consumers conducted in March 2026 found that AI is contributing to a more skeptical media environment, raising the stakes for brands to create recognizable, credible and high-quality content.

The findings were presented today during Gartner Marketing Symposium/Xpo, taking place here this week.

“AI-generated content is increasing the volume of media that consumers encounter, but not necessarily the value,” said Kate Muhl, VP Analyst in the Gartner Marketing practice. “In a more skeptical media environment, brands need to be more recognizable, more credible and more intentional about the contexts in which they appear.”

“Consumer screen time may be abundant, but consumer attention is not,” said Muhl. “For marketers, the goal is no longer simply to buy reach or chase impressions. Media strategy must compete for scarce attention and create brand meaning quickly enough to survive fragmented, fast-moving environments.”

AI Is Changing How Consumers Build Searches

A Gartner survey of 328 U.S. consumers conducted in February 2026 found that AI is beginning to change how consumers build searches for products and services. Twenty percent of U.S. consumers say their search inputs are more specific because of AI, 19% phrase search inputs as questions more frequently, 17% rely on AI summaries to get information for products or services they are looking for, and 16% use AI chatbots to search for new products or services to buy.

“AI is changing the way consumers connect with content and where consumer attention lives,” said Muhl. “CMOs should not treat AI as a replacement for media fundamentals. The brands that win will be those that understand where attention is gathering, how trust is being formed and what kinds of experiences consumers want to remember.”