As the artificial intelligence market continues to grow and the technology becomes more common in daily life—debates are sparking regarding responsible artificial intelligence (RAI) and how organizations should handle implementation.
The Australian Government has even proposed mandatory artificial intelligence guardrails in high-risk settings. These guardrails closely mirror the pre-existing Voluntary AI Safety Standards framework.
Marketing is one of the many industries that is seeing a boom in artificial intelligence usage. Many marketing businesses are already using AI as a tool for analyzing data, automating tasks, and even creating content.
The usage of artificial intelligence as a marketing tool has led to discourse. Many experts are debating whether it’s responsible for using AI in marketing, how it impacts consumers’ trust, and whether organizations should use AI disclaimers.
Marketing and trust
A new report from Intuit Mailchimp reveals brand trust and connection are the number one factor driving sales with Australian shoppers. Whether you’re an experienced marketer or studying for a Masters in Digital Marketing online, you’ll likely know that trust is non-negotiable.
The same research also reports that despite trust being the most important factor, nearly a third (34%) of shoppers have started trusting brands less since the rise of misinformation—one of the byproducts of artificial intelligence’s growth.
In 2023, The Washington Post reported that since May of the same year, websites hosting AI-created false articles had grown by over 1,000%. Artificial intelligence has been spurring an explosion of false information and fake news on topics from the election to wars.
The data in The Washington Post’s article comes from NewsGuard, an organization that tracks misinformation. It found that websites hosting AI-generated false articles had gone from 49 sites to more than 600.
Artificial intelligence has made it easier than ever for individuals or organizations to build websites that appear legitimate but are actually packed with misinformation. It can make it hard to differentiate fake information from the truth, which isn’t only impacting news—the issue is rapidly bleeding into the marketing sector.
This issue impacts consumers, fosters distrust, and leads to a rift. Qualtrics released its 2025 Consumer Experience Trends report, which highlighted similar sentiments about Australian consumers, trust, and the use of AI.
According to the report, a significant 86% of Australian consumers express low trust in local organisations to use AI responsibly, including marketing. In Australia, there is already massive skepticism towards AI, which is only growing.
URL: https://www.pexels.com/photo/robot-pointing-on-a-wall-8386440/
What is an AI disclaimer?
Despite the growing mistrust towards artificial intelligence, it’s hard to deny how powerful a tool it can be—especially in marketing. So, how can marketers still use artificial intelligence while maintaining a positive relationship with consumers?
The answer is AI disclaimers. AI disclaimers are statements an individual or organization provides to describe the role, limitations, and usage of artificial intelligence in a particular context.
For example, if a marketing company uses artificial intelligence for copywriting, they’d release a statement about where and why AI tools were used. This is important for transparency and fostering a positive relationship with consumers.
AI disclaimers are essential for a range of reasons. Along with transparency, it’s also important for liability, ethics, and privacy awareness. Depending on the industry, disclaimers for AI usage are becoming mandatory.
Why you should use disclaimers
Recent studies have shown that despite companies going crazy for AI-driven products—consumers aren’t as keen. Simply mentioning artificial intelligence can lead to a decrease in interest.
The rise of generative AI has also led to consumers questioning content as a whole. For example, it has become more common for consumers to accuse an entity of utilizing AI tools just because there is a lack of disclaimer regarding usage.
Nondisclosure of AI usage for content can also lead to consumers feeling misled or lied to. In some cases, it has even resulted in heavy criticism and global controversy, like Marvel’s usage of AI for their TV series, Secret Invasion.
So, disclaimers are becoming important, whether to outline the usage of artificial intelligence or lack of it as a strategy to maintain trust with consumers. It can manage expectations and help dispel any mistrust.
AI-generated marketing materials are also subject to bias, inaccuracies, and errors in the data sets used for learning. Disclaimers can help mitigate any potential legal and reputational risks by acknowledging these limitations.
AI disclaimers are also important for promoting accountability. Disclaimers clarify that while artificial intelligence-powered tools are used, the responsibility lies with the business or its representatives using the tool.
Artificial intelligence in marketing
According to SurveyMonkey research, 88% of marketers rely on artificial intelligence in their current jobs. Of the marketers already utilizing artificial intelligence, 93% of them use it to generate content quicker, while 81% use it to uncover insights more efficiently.
Statistics from Salesforce also reveal that 32% of marketing organizations have already fully implemented AI, whilst more are experimenting with it. Usage for AI will only grow in the marketing sector in the coming years.
With the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, it’s more important than ever to adopt responsible usage, including AI disclaimers. It is beneficial for building trust with consumers and can help with compliance, sales, public image, and loyalty.
Featured Photo by John Schnobrich on Unsplash
