How to Get the Benefits of GenAI Without Losing Target Consumers

In 2023, 57 percent of B2C martech leaders said they planned to deploy generative artificial intelligence within the next 24 months, according to a Gartner survey. Marketers are under pressure to get GenAI working on behalf of their organization’s bottom line as quickly as possible. However, many consumers remain wary of AI and the companies that use it. A Gartner consumer survey found that three out of 10 U.S. consumers would take action if they learned a company they had bought from used GenAI to create ads or content, including 13 percent who would stop buying from the company. While that’s not everyone, it’s certainly a significant portion of consumers, and it’s enough that businesses should take notice.

Consumers are not monolithic when it comes to their attitudes towards AI. In fact, they embrace one of four key mindsets:

Enthusiasts (29 Percent of US Consumers)

These consumers embrace GenAI and endorse the personal and societal benefits of the technology. These consumers tend to skew younger — 75 percent of them are under the age of 50. They're also more likely to be male. They're tech optimists who are confident that they can learn how to use GenAI for their own benefit, and can see many potential use cases for it in their own lives. They’re not concerned about job losses caused by GenAI, and believe that those who opt out of using it will get left behind. Enthusiasts believe that the benefits of GenAI will outweigh the risks. Brands looking to incorporate GenAI should highlight and celebrate their use of the technology to connect with this group.

Rejectors (13 Percent of US Consumers)

These consumers decline to acknowledge and refuse to participate in GenAI use. Attitudinally and demographically they’re the inverse of Enthusiasts: 56 percent of Rejectors are over the age of 50. They also skew male, and are the least affluent of the mindsets. Where Enthusiasts are pro-technology, Rejectors are anti-technology. They’re concerned about job losses caused by GenAI and very few of them believe the technology will deliver on its promise. Brands whose targets lean toward the Rejector mindset should tread carefully. Rejectors will need to hear that your organization continues to rely on human skills and perspective.

Passives (21 Percent of US Consumers)

Passives are neutral to negative toward AI. They see the tech as something that will have impact on society, but not on themselves personally. While their negativity isn't as extreme as Rejectors’, they view the technology in a negative light. They tend to skew female and share several of Rejectors’ attitudes towards technology, believing that the risks of GenAI will outweigh its benefits. However, they do see potential use cases for GenAI in their personal lives, primarily as a search tool to find better prices. Brands whose target consumers lean toward the Passive mindset should emphasize the ways their organizations still put people first.

Pragmatists (37 Percent of US Consumers)

Pragmatists see GenAI as an inevitability. They’re not happy about it, but they plan to adopt it for transactional and practical reasons. This set of attitudes is critical for brands to understand because it’s the most prevalent mindset, and also the most ambivalent. Pragmatists see potential uses for GenAI in their lives but they’re also concerned about the impact it will have on their jobs. Demographically, they’re similar to Enthusiasts, but they’re much less convinced that GenAI will deliver on its potential, and more likely to believe that the risks will outweigh the benefits.

Understanding that consumers are not monolithic in their view of AI — and what consumers’ predominant attitudes are — is a critical first step to protecting an organization’s investments in GenAI from consumer backlash. But it’s not the last. CMOs and their teams must also carry out a brand-centered risk assessment, exploring their business, their brand, and their GenAI plans from the consumer’s point of view.

Organizations that are embracing GenAI primarily to increase revenue from improvements to CX enjoy lower risk of consumer pushback. However, using GenAI for operational efficiencies that facilitate headcount reduction, beware. That’s a GenAI use case that consumers are deeply concerned about.

In the end, the best way to get the benefits of GenAI without losing target consumers — whether they’re Enthusiasts, Rejectors or somewhere in between — will be to lean into the way your use of this technology will benefit those target consumers.

Kate Muhl is a vice president, analyst in the Gartner Marketing Practice, specializing in cultural and consumer insights.