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Generative AI is everywhere now. You see it in content, campaigns, customer experiences, and even internal workflows. It promises speed, scale, and efficiency, but there’s a harder question sitting underneath all that progress; Do your audiences actually trust it?

Trust in the Age of AI: What Consumers Really Think About AI Generated Content

Today, PR teams aren’t just tracking media coverage and share of voice. They’re also measuring how their brand shows up in AI-generated answers, search summaries, and large language models (LLMs). This new LLM visibility layer is quickly becoming a critical part of PR performance.

15 Must-Have PR KPIs and How to Track Them

See how one platform can power every decision across PR, communications, and marketing.

The Meltwater Blog

Blog Topics: Generative Engine Optimization, Media Intelligence, Media Relations, Social Listening, Consumer Intelligence, Influencer Marketing

Find out how you can leverage Facebook to boost your brand's online presence and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

Facebook Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage Instagram to boost your brand's visual appeal and gain a competitive edge. Explore our category page today!

Instagram Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage LinkedIN to grow your professional network and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

LinkedIn Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage TikTok to elevate your brand with creative content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

TikTok Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage X / Twitter to engage your audience effectively and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

X / Twitter Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage YouTube to create engaging video content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

YouTube Blog | Meltwater

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is transforming how brands show up in AI-powered search. Explore insights, strategies, and best practices to help your content rank and resonate across conversational engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot.

Explore insights and strategies for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to help your brand stay visible and discoverable in AI-powered search.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Blog Collection | Meltwater

Every day billions of conversations take place on social media: tweets, posts, comments, blogs, reviews, podcasts, and much more.
Learn how to use social listening to make sense of all of that data.

On our social listening category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around social listening and social media monitoring. Read more.

Social Listening Blogs | Category

Business Reputation Management: What does it take to add reputation management to your marketing strategy? More importantly, how do you keep your reputation sparkly and shiny? Here’s your all-access guide to online reputation management for the long term.

On our reputation management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around business reputation management. Read more.

Reputation Management Blogs | Category

From your brand's logo to your website, your social media presence to your customer support—these elements combined are what constitutes a brand in the minds of customers. But, there are thousands of other businesses that have a logo, website, social media presence, and website. So, how can you position your business on the market and make it stand out from the competition?
The key to success is branding & brand management!

On our brand management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around brand management. Build your strategy and reach your goals!

Brand Management Blogs | Category

Competitive intelligence and the act of collecting competitive data can be seen as growth drivers for a company. Our guide will help you understand the concept of competitive intelligence (CI) by answering questions such as: What is the definition of competitive intelligence? How is competitive intelligence useful to organizations? What is the goal of competitive intelligence? And more.

On our competitive intelligence category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around competitive intelligence. Learn how to stay ahead.

Competitive Intelligence Blogs | Category

Let’s dive into the customer journey framework and how to optimize the process by creating a customer journey map and using metrics that matter when analyzing the customer journey.

On our customer journey category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Customer Journey Blogs | Category

What Is Data Analytics? [Beginner’s Guide 2023]
How can I grow my business? 
How do customers interact with my newly launched product?
How do I increase the productivity of my employees?
How do I know if my marketing efforts are working?
We have just two words for you...Data analytics!

On our data analytics category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around AI and data analytics. Technical and still easy to understand.

AI & Data Analytics Blogs | Category

Public relations and media relations can add impact to any marketing strategy. It’s an opportunity for brands to grow their reach beyond traditional sales messages. PR helps to shape the image you want people to have of your brand.
So, what is PR and how do you use it? This guide shows you everything you need to know to build a strong public relations foundation.

On our public relations (PR) category page, you find all our blogs covering public relations and communications topics. Step up your PR game.

Public Relations (PR) Blogs | Category

We all know exactly what the roles of sales or accounting are in a company, right? We might even have a slight idea of what the IT guys are doing.
But there is another business discipline, that plays a crucial role in organizations, even more so during the pandemic – internal communications!
But what exactly do we mean by that, what purpose does it serve and what steps can you take to ensure you and your employees will communicate effectively?

On our internal communications category page, you find all our blogs about internal comms topics. Learn about the intranet, internal newsletters, and more.

Internal Communications Blogs | Category

As the internet has taken root in more areas of our lives — everything from entertainment to shopping to paying bills and more — traditional marketing is becoming less impactful. As any marketer knows, you need to focus on where your audience is if you want to reach them. Since the average person spends about seven hours a day online, it’s no surprise that content has maintained its hold on marketers.

Here's a closer look at what content marketing is and why it matters more than ever in our digital-first economy.

On our content marketing category page, you find blogs about content marketing topics. Learn about strategies, KPIs, tips, and more. Make your content king!

Content Marketing Blogs | Category

The rise of the influencer marketing space – today a $10 billion industry, growing 50% per year – is one of the clearest examples of how social media is transforming traditional marketing. These days having a business website, presence on social, PR coverage, and your own content isn’t enough to compete.
We'll dive into the intricacies of influencer marketing to help ensure that you're equipped with the insights needed to be successful in this space.

On our influencer marketing category page, you find blogs about influencer marketing topics. Build your strategy, find influencers, and measure results.

Influencer Marketing Blogs | Category

Have you just launched a new product or service that you want to get the word out about? Maybe you want to share with consumers why it is awesome and how it is so much better than the one your competitors offer.

Well, then, there is one thing you can't do without...Marketing!

On our marketing category page, you find blogs about marketing topics. Learn about all the different angles and types of marketing and improve your results.

Marketing Blogs | Category

In this guide, we want to give you a peek into the definition of social media management, the daily schedule of a social media manager, social media platforms to promote your business, and the do’s & don’ts of social media management.
Are you ready to begin the journey of becoming a social media superstar?

On our social media management category page, you find blogs about social media management topics. Build and manage your online community.

Social Media Management Blogs | Category

Building a following and using social media platforms to reach a wider audience requires a well-planned social media marketing strategy. In this guide, we’ll be looking at why social media marketing is so essential and how you can make it work for your business.

On our social media marketing category page, you find blogs about social media marketing topics. Learn how to get the highest paid social ROI!

Social Media Marketing Blogs | Category

In the fast-evolving realm of digital marketing and public relations, utilizing the right tools is crucial for success. Our interdisciplinary category showcases all the pertinent tools for digital marketing & PR. These tools help in enhancing your online presence and effectively reaching target groups, whether through reputation management, influencer marketing, or social media management.

On our digital marketing and PR tools category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Digital Marketing & PR Tools Blogs | Category

Generative AI is everywhere now. You see it in content, campaigns, customer experiences, and even internal workflows. 

It promises speed, scale, and efficiency, but there’s a harder question sitting underneath all that progress; Do your audiences actually trust it?

That’s what we set out to understand in our latest report with YouGov, based on responses from nearly 10,000 people across seven global markets. The results point to something many brands are starting to feel in practice - AI is a double-edged sword, offering cost savings and productivity gains, but potentially damaging customer trust.

Consumers Aren’t as Excited as You Might Think

The Real Concern Isn’t AI, It’s What AI Enables

Context Shapes Acceptance More than Capability

AI Can Cost You Trust if You’re Not Careful

Consumers Aren’t as Excited by Gen AI as You Might Think

There’s a gap between how the industry talks about AI and how people actually feel about it.

You might assume that excitement is high because, after all, AI dominates headlines and product roadmaps for seemingly most companies. But when you look at consumer sentiment, the picture is more mixed. In fact, more people (51%) feel uncertain or sceptical than excited (39%) about a future shaped by generative AI.

That hesitation means your audience isn’t automatically on board with AI-driven content, no matter how advanced or efficient it is. By introducing a new tool into your workflow, you’re introducing a new layer of doubt into how your content is perceived.

Younger audiences are more open, with 48% of those aged 25-34 reporting that they are excited by AI, compared to only 31% of those aged over 55. 

Some markets are more optimistic than others too; Germany (56%) and Singapore (55%) show the highest levels of excitement towards AI, while the UK (23%) and the U.S. (25%) are the least excited. But overall, enthusiasm is far from universal. You can’t assume broad AI acceptance, you have to earn it.

The Real Concern isn’t AI, it’s What AI Enables

When people talk about AI risk, they’re rarely talking about the technology itself, they’re talking about outcomes.

Consumers are deeply concerned about how AI-generated content could be used. Fake news, scams, misleading information, and the erosion of authenticity all rank high on their list of worries. These aren’t fringe concerns; they’re held by a large majority of respondents across every market we studied.

That tells you something important: your audience is not evaluating AI in isolation, but judging it based on the potential for misuse.

So when your brand uses AI, people don’t always see the efficiency and cost savings that drove you to adopt the technology; they see risk, and unless you address that risk head-on, it can quietly undermine your credibility.

Many consumers believe they can spot AI-generated content, but at the same time, an overwhelming majority worry that people in general won’t be able to tell what’s real and what isn’t.

That contradiction creates a strange dynamic in which, on a personal level, people feel confident, but on a societal level they feel uneasy.

For brands, that means trust is fragile. Even if your content is accurate and well-intentioned, it exists in an environment where people expect confusion, misinformation, and blurred lines between human and machine.

For brands, the battle is more than fighting for consumer attention now, they’re competing to earn trust. 

Not all AI use is judged equally; the context of how and where it’s used matters when audiences form their opinions. 

Consumers are more comfortable with AI in areas like entertainment and advertising, where 53% and 47% respectively said they found it acceptable, perhaps because these are spaces where creativity, experimentation, and even a bit of artificiality are expected, so the stakes feel lower.

But shift that same AI into news (21% acceptable), politics (18% acceptable), or other high-trust environments, and attitudes change quickly. Acceptance drops and resistance rises.

This is one of the clearest signals from the data; People don’t reject AI outright, instead they evaluate it based on context, intent, and perceived impact.

So the question for your brand isn’t just “Should we use AI?” It’s “Where does AI make sense, and where does it damage trust?”

One of the strongest findings in the report is the impact of AI on brand trust. A significant portion (32%) of consumers say they would trust a brand less if they knew its content was generated using AI, whereas only a small minority (15%) say it would increase their trust.

That imbalance should get your attention, since it means AI doesn’t come with a built-in trust advantage; rather, in many cases, it starts at a disadvantage.

It gets worse when certain lines are crossed, for example, if AI-generated content feels misleading, if it’s used without disclosure, or if it replaces human creativity entirely, trust drops sharply.

So if you’re using AI, you need to think beyond efficiency and consider the impact on audience perception. 

If there’s one takeaway from the Trust in the Age of Generative AI report that you act on, make it this; Consumers expect you to be transparent about your use of AI, as a basic requirement.

An overwhelming majority say it’s important that brands clearly disclose when content has been created using generative AI, and that expectation holds across every market in the study.

This is an interesting shift in how trust works, because in the past, brands could focus on outcomes, but now the process matters too. People want to know how content is made, not just what it says, and if they feel you’re hiding something, even unintentionally, it can erode trust quickly.

Transparency has become a signal of credibility.

AI is not going away. You’re going to use it, your competitors are going to use it, and your audience knows that. The difference will come down to how you use it.

Brands that win in this next phase won’t be the ones that adopt AI the fastest, but the ones that use it thoughtfully, communicate it clearly, and keep human judgment at the centre of what they do.

That means being deliberate about where AI adds value, setting clear guidelines for disclosure, and monitoring how your audience responds, not just assuming they’ll accept it.

Most of all, it means recognising that trust is now part of your AI strategy.

This is just a snapshot of what we found. The full report breaks down how attitudes differ by country, age group, and content type. It also explores where AI is gaining acceptance, where it’s facing resistance, and what that means for your communications strategy.

If you’re thinking about how to use AI without damaging trust, it’s worth a closer look.

Download the full report to see the complete data and insights.

Most consumers are sceptical about AI-generated content. Over half feel uncertain, and many say it can reduce trust in brands using it.

Trust issues stem from concerns about misinformation, fake news, scams, and lack of authenticity enabled by AI-generated content.

Does AI-generated content hurt brand trust?

Yes, it can. Around one-third of consumers say they trust brands less when they learn content is AI-generated, especially without disclosure.

Acceptance depends on context. Consumers are more comfortable with AI in marketing and entertainment, but less so in news, politics, or high-trust industries.

Many believe they can identify AI content, but most worry that others cannot, contributing to broader uncertainty and distrust.

How important is AI transparency for brands?

Transparency is essential. Most consumers expect brands to clearly disclose when AI is used to create content.

Should brands use AI in content creation?

Yes, but carefully. Brands should use AI where it adds value, maintain human oversight, and align usage with audience expectations.

How can brands build trust when using AI?

To build trust, brands should disclose AI use, avoid misleading content, apply AI in appropriate contexts, and prioritise human input.

Influencer marketing is evolving, and so is the way brands measure success. That’s why Meltwater is proud to announce a new partnership with YouTube, integrating YouTube’s Creator Partnerships API directly into our Influencer Marketing platform.

As one of a select group of partners chosen by YouTube, this collaboration brings verified, first-party data into every stage of the influencer marketing workflow, marking a significant step forward for how brands approach YouTube as a marketing channel.

The Challenge: Growing Investment, Limited Visibility

A Strategic Shift for Influencer Marketing

More Than Discovery: End-to-End Campaign Management

Why this Partnership Matters for Influencer Marketing

FAQ: Meltwater Influencer Marketing & YouTube’s Creator Partnerships API

YouTube has become one of the most powerful platforms for creator-led marketing. With long-form content, deeper storytelling, and highly engaged audiences, it plays an increasingly central role in brand strategy.

But as investment in YouTube grows, so do expectations. Marketers are facing a persistent challenge: public metrics only tell part of the story, making it difficult to fully understand true performance. At the same time, audience fit is hard to validate before campaigns even begin, and campaign impact is often fragmented or unclear once they are underway. 

As a result, brands are investing more in YouTube, but without full confidence in performance or ROI.

The Solution: Verified Data, Built Into the Workflow

Through this new partnership, Meltwater Influencer Marketing integrates verified, non-public YouTube data directly from creators in the YouTube Partner Program into influencer workflows, unlocking a new level of transparency and control.

But there’s more to this story than simply providing additional data for marketers - it’s about transforming how YouTube campaigns are planned, executed, and measured.

Discover and evaluate creators using verified performance and audience insights

Validate audience fit before investing in partnerships

Track campaign performance at the video level

Connect creator activity directly to measurable outcomes

Optimize strategy and budget based on real performance data

In short, YouTube becomes a measurable, optimizable channel, not a black box.

This partnership represents a broader shift in how YouTube is used within the marketing mix, empowering brands to move beyond discovery and treat YouTube as a true performance channel.

<table>
  <thead class="table-primary alternate-color">
    <tr>
      <th><strong>Before</strong></th>
      <th><strong>After</strong></th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>YouTube was a partially visible channel</td>
      <td>YouTube is a fully integrated, measurable channel</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Decisions relied on surface-level metrics</td>
      <td>Decisions are driven by verified, first-party data</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Reporting was fragmented</td>
      <td>Campaign performance is clearly tracked end-to-end</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

While many platforms focus on helping brands find creators, Meltwater Influencer Marketing goes further. Our platform enables teams to:

Discover: Search and filter YouTube creators.

Vet: Evaluate engagement quality, audience demographics, and content performance using verified data.

Activate: Seamlessly manage campaigns and assign YouTube deliverables.

Measure: Track video-level performance and access unified campaign reporting.

This end-to-end approach ensures that every stage of a campaign is informed by reliable, actionable insights.

For marketers, this partnership unlocks an entirely new level of confidence in YouTube investments. Instead of relying on surface-level metrics or post-campaign assumptions, brands can now make decisions grounded in verified, first-party data at every stage of the campaign lifecycle.

With deeper visibility into creator performance and audience quality, marketers can make smarter, more informed decisions about who they partner with, reducing risk and ensuring stronger alignment from the outset. 

This means validating audience fit before committing budget, not after results come in.

At the same time, campaign impact becomes far easier to prove. With access to more accurate, video-level performance data, brands can clearly connect creator activity to real outcomes, moving beyond vanity metrics to demonstrate true business value. This level of transparency not only strengthens reporting, but also builds internal confidence among stakeholders.

The ability to track performance more precisely also opens the door to ongoing optimization. So instead of waiting until a campaign ends to evaluate success, marketers can monitor results in real time and adjust strategy, creative direction, or budget allocation based on what’s actually working.

Ultimately, this shifts influencer marketing on YouTube from an experimental or awareness-driven tactic into a measurable, performance-driven growth channel. 

As the space continues to mature, this level of measurement is no longer a “nice to have” but a requirement for brands looking to scale their investments with confidence and accountability.

This isn’t just a new feature or data integration, it’s a shift in how YouTube fits into the broader influencer marketing ecosystem. 

With verified data embedded across discovery, vetting, activation, and measurement, Meltwater Influencer Marketing is helping brands turn YouTube into a fully measurable, performance-driven channel.


FAQ: Meltwater Influencer Marketing & YouTube’s Creator Partnerships API 

What makes this YouTube partnership different from existing influencer marketing tools?

Unlike platforms that rely primarily on public data, Meltwater Influencer Marketing integrates verified, first-party data directly from YouTube. This provides a deeper, more accurate view of creator performance, audience quality, and campaign impact—enabling brands to make more confident, data-driven decisions across the entire campaign lifecycle.

Do brands need to take any additional steps to access YouTube data in their campaign?

Yes. To access verified campaign data, brands must connect their YouTube account in the platform and include YouTube deliverables within their campaigns. In addition, creators need to link their content through YouTube’s ecosystem. These steps ensure data accuracy and alignment with YouTube’s measurement framework.

How is verified YouTube data made available in Klear?

Verified data is available for creators who have opted into YouTube’s Partner Program. This ensures that audience and performance insights are based on real viewer behavior, providing a more accurate and reliable view of creator performance.

What kind of insights can brands expect from this integration?

Brands gain access to richer performance insights beyond surface-level metrics, including video-level performance data, deeper audience insights, and more reliable engagement signals. This allows teams to evaluate creators more effectively, measure campaign success with greater precision, and optimize performance in real time.

Is this partnership only relevant for large-scale influencer programs?

Not at all. While enterprise teams will benefit from advanced measurement and reporting, brands of all sizes can use these capabilities to improve decision-making, reduce wasted spend, and scale their influencer marketing efforts more effectively. Whether running a single campaign or a global program, having access to verified data leads to better outcomes.

Introducing Verified YouTube Data in Meltwater Influencer Marketing

As of 2026, PR crises move faster—and spread further—than ever before. News breaks across social media, digital media, blogs, news, and increasingly, large language models (LLMs) that shape how information is summarized and discovered.

This acceleration puts increased pressure on PR and communications teams. 

27.9% of PR professionals say reactive work like crisis response is their biggest time sink, while 15.3% identify real-time crisis communication as a top emerging trend. (Meltwater State of PR Report, 2026)

Managing a PR crisis today requires more than a reactive response. It requires a well structured, data-driven approach—supported by real-time monitoring across media, social platforms, and AI-generated narratives.

The Role of AI and Social listening in PR Crisis Management

A PR crisis is any event that threatens brand reputation and requires immediate response.

Tip: don’t jump into crisis management mode unnecessarily. Knee-jerk responses to easily solvable issues or misunderstandings can backfire and then become crises. Make sure you pause to verify all facts and information surrounding a perceived issue before responding. See these common issues that don't need to become crises for an idea of what to look out for.

Crisis management is the process brands use to identify, respond to, and resolve a PR crisis.

It includes the steps a company takes to detect emerging risks, manage communication, and protect its reputation. While managing a PR crisis is rarely straightforward, effective crisis management starts with having a clear, structured plan in place—including a communication strategy that enables timely, transparent responses.

No two crises are identical, so your approach will vary depending on the severity, reach, and channels involved. Having a repeatable framework ensures your team can act quickly and consistently.

Many organizations are still underprepared when a crisis hits. Customers increasingly turn to social media as their first point of engagement during a crisis, making preparation even more critical.

Social media plays a central role in modern crisis management. It is where news spreads first, where conversations evolve fastest, and where brand perception can shift in seconds. Taking a proactive approach—and building strong alignment with your social media team—can significantly improve your response.

Real-time social listening tools like Meltwater's social listening solution

Audience sentiment and behavioral insights

Immediate publishing capabilities across channels

An example of Meltwater's real-time social listening platform

In many cases, they are your first line of defense. Close collaboration ensures you can respond faster, with the context and data needed to make informed decisions.

A crisis management plan is a structured framework that outlines how your business responds to a PR crisis.

It serves as a repeatable, adaptable guide for handling issues across media, social platforms, and other channels as needed. A strong plan is flexible enough to apply to different scenarios, while still providing clear direction for your team.

In a 24/7 digital environment where news spreads instantly across social media, mobile devices, and increasingly AI-generated summaries, not having a crisis management plan in place creates significant risk.

It also defines key roles and responsibilities, so the right people are involved and informed at the right time.

Templatizing your communication process is especially valuable. It allows teams to:

Speed up approval for social posts, press releases, and statements

Maintain consistency in tone and messaging

Reduce delays during high-pressure situations

If your organization does not already have a plan in place, creating one should be a priority. For industries that face frequent public scrutiny, such as government, travel, or airlines, a dedicated crisis communication template is especially important.

A well-built plan can also include pre-approved language, messaging frameworks, and common response scenarios, making it easier to respond quickly without sacrificing accuracy.

Ultimately, a crisis management plan helps your team move from reactive to prepared—ensuring you respond with clarity, speed, and confidence when it matters most.

Meltwater helps organizations spring into action with comprehensive reputation intelligence including risk management dashboards and alerts. Teams can quickly understand where risk is increasing, which narratives are driving it, and how severe the exposure is. 

Once you’ve determined a crisis situation, you need to address it as quickly as possible. Here are 10 important steps to effective crisis management. 

2. Assemble a dedicated crisis response team

Use social listening and media monitoring tools, identify the important spikes in the conversation, key conversation drivers, and sentiment shifts.

Make sure you understand what happened to ignite it as fully as possible, and the extent of the damage, so you can craft a crisis response specific to the situation.

Once you know as much as possible about how a crisis began, it's time to widen the circle with a dedicated crisis response team.

The Meltwater Blog

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