But there might be a disconnect between this excitement and overall public sentiment. It’s what the Harvard Business Review called the trust gap: as the tech industry races to improve AI so it can perform tasks as well as humans, the public becomes increasingly concerned about the associated risks. The most common issues include misinformation, hallucinations, lack of transparency, bias, job loss, environmental impact, potential fraud and lack of regulations. A recent study by the University of Queensland and KPMG has found that 61% of people are either ambivalent or unwilling to trust AI, and 73% are concerned about the risks.

Navigating this landscape isn’t easy for businesses that want to stay on top of technological innovation while upholding their integrity. That’s why it’s more important than ever to go the extra mile to show customers that your business still puts them first, even when using AI. Here are some actions you can take to keep and strengthen customer trust.

Be transparent about AI content

With AI content flooding every corner of the internet, the public is growing wary of potential deceit, including by brands. According to a 2024 YouGov poll, around half of consumers are uncomfortable with brands using AI in their advertising and communications. Another study concluded that positive word of mouth and customer loyalty are reduced when customers believe emotional marketing communications are written by an AI.

People don’t want to feel lied to, so it’s vital to be upfront about your AI use. Take the initiative to clearly label AI-generated content, whether it’s writing, videos or images. Most social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn, offer native options to label AI content when posting.

You should also disclose AI use on your website and blog. For example, Mediaforta uses the AI influence scale to clarify how AI was used in the content creation process and to illustrate the balance between human and AI input. A piece that’s 100% human, for instance, was created with little to no AI involvement. If human involvement goes to 75%, that means the content was created by humans with support from AI, such as to spark ideas or draft an outline.

Have clear AI policies

It’s not just about disclosing when you’re using AI, but also how. Consider creating a dedicated page on your website outlining your company’s AI policy, such as how you use AI, how often and for what purposes. If applicable, include internal editorial guidelines and explain how your company mitigates risks and ethical issues like misinformation or copyright infringement. The Associated Press, for instance, has publicly shared clear guidelines on how its journalists can and cannot use AI to maintain journalistic integrity. Mediaforta also has a detailed AI policy that addresses usage, ethics, data privacy, employee responsibilities and more.

For the sake of transparency, make the page easily discoverable on your website and publicise the policies. You can post about them on social media or send an email to your list, for example. Proactively regulating your AI use and being open about it will prove to customers that you take their concerns and trust seriously.

Don’t sacrifice quality

One of the main reasons businesses adopt AI is to increase productivity. While it’s fair to employ tools to streamline your workflows and save time, be careful not to become hyper-focused on speed and short-term profits over quality.

For example, some software engineers at Amazon have expressed concern about the company’s widespread adoption of AI for coding. AI tools can generate most of the code, offering snippets that engineers can accept or reject. Now, work that used to take weeks is expected to be completed within days. They’ve noticed that this faster pace is negatively affecting the quality of their work, making it more routine and less thoughtful. This over-reliance on AI for coding could also lead to bugs and degrade the user experience.

The same applies to content creation. Even if AI boosts productivity, it doesn’t guarantee a comparable increase in content quality. According to a recent Mediaforta survey of 58 content creators, 73% of respondents said that AI helped them be more productive, but only half noticed a positive impact on the quality of their work. 47% of participants said AI doesn’t affect quality, with one creator stressing that, “I don’t think it has changed the quality of my work. It just saves me some time.” 

Focusing on speed and quantity can lead to high returns in the short term, but this approach is almost certain to compromise the quality of the output, whether in software or content. Instead, put user experience first and impose high quality standards across all your content.

Emphasise human knowledge and care

Trust is a key element in lasting human relationships. There are no shortcuts to earning it – as the adage goes, trust is hard earned and easily lost – and technology certainly can’t take over the process.

To build and keep your audience’s trust, the most important step is to bet on the human talent and knowledge at your disposal. Humans can create content that is authentic, impactful and on-brand. They can listen to customer needs and demands to deliver real value. They can empathise with a customer’s problem and find solutions. They can tap into their expertise and previous experience to navigate sensitive situations. They can – and should – provide oversight, safeguard against AI pitfalls, take accountability, make decisions and build genuine relationships, both inside your company and with customers.

Don’t be afraid to lean into this: in addition to explaining how you use AI, highlight the role played by humans within your company. Show how they create content, oversee and vet AI output, provide individualised attention and talk to customers one-on-one to solve their problems. In an environment marked by mistrust and frustrations caused by excessive reliance on AI, emphasising the human touch isn’t just about maintaining trust, but also a strong competitive advantage.