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Research note · Dentsu Creative

Dentsu: 55% of consumers are tired of algorithms serving more of the same

Dentsu Creative’s 2026 trends research, a survey of 4,500 consumers in seven countries, found that 55% are tired of algorithms recommending more of the same, only 46% feel confident they can spot AI-generated content, and 51% now ask AI tools questions they used to ask a person. For brands, the message is clear: use AI to scale, but use human craft to stand out.

By the Tonic The Agency team

About the research

Generative Realities: Dentsu Creative Trends 2026 is Dentsu Creative’s annual trends report, published in December 2025. It identifies five themes shaping consumer behaviour – Escape Velocity, Electric Dreams, Trad Lives, Alone Together and Analog Futures – and backs them with a survey of 4,500 consumers run through the Toluna panel between 25 October and 4 November 2025: 1,000 each in the US and Japan, and 500 each in Brazil, China, India, Spain and the UK. Australia wasn’t part of the sample, so the figures below are global. This summary focuses on the findings about AI, algorithms and content, which matter most for brands using AI in their marketing.

Sources: Dentsu Creative Trends 2026 (dentsu.com) · coverage in Australia: Mediaweek, 12 December 2025.

Key findings

  • 55%are tired of algorithms recommending more of the same. The feeling is consistent across ages, from 55% of Boomers to 57% of Gen Z.
  • 46%feel confident they can spot AI-generated content – 64% of Gen Z, but just 24% of Boomers.
  • 53%use AI chat tools in their personal lives, rising to 70% of Gen Z.
  • 51%now ask AI tools questions they would previously have asked a person, such as a parent, teacher or friend – 63% of Millennials and 65% of Gen Z.
  • 40%try to switch off from the online world as much as possible, and 50% try to ration their screen time – people are pulling back from the feed.

AI content is outpacing human content, but not outperforming it. The report cites research showing more AI-generated articles are now published than human-written ones, that they tend to perform worse in search, and that readers trust articles less when the writing feels AI-generated. It also highlights “workslop”: low-quality AI output that creates more work than it saves.

Dentsu’s advice to brands: design for difference, not sameness, using craft, data and context; be clear about where AI helps and where it should never be used; and expect “made by and for humans” to become a mark of quality.

What this means for your business

AI makes it easy to produce more content, faster. This research shows why “more” isn’t the goal: audiences are tired of sameness, can’t always tell what’s AI-made, and notice when something feels generic. The brands that win will use AI to handle volume and speed, and people to make the work distinctive, accurate and worth trusting.

It also confirms a shift in how people find answers. When half of consumers ask AI tools the questions they used to ask a person, being the brand those tools recommend becomes as important as ranking in Google.

What to do next

  1. Decide where AI helps and where it doesn’t – use it for research, first drafts, testing and data; keep strategy, ideas and final quality with experienced people.
  2. Design for difference – give AI-assisted work a clear point of view, real examples and your own data, so it doesn’t read like everyone else’s.
  3. Review everything before it goes out – accuracy, tone and originality checks are what separate useful AI content from “slop”.
  4. Make your brand easy for AI to recommend – clear answers, consistent facts and credible mentions help AI assistants describe you accurately.

How we use AI

Frequently asked questions

What is “AI slop”?

AI slop is low-quality, mass-produced content made with AI tools and published with little human input. Dentsu’s 2026 research found platforms such as YouTube and Spotify have taken steps against it, and that audiences increasingly prefer slower, more considered content.

Do people use AI instead of search?

Increasingly, for many questions. In Dentsu Creative’s 2026 survey of 4,500 consumers across seven countries, 51% said they now ask AI tools questions they would previously have asked a person, rising to 65% of Gen Z. That’s why AI search visibility (GEO) now sits alongside SEO.

Does this research apply to Australia?

Australia wasn’t in Dentsu’s sample (the US, Japan, Brazil, China, India, Spain and the UK were), but its seven markets span the Americas, Europe and Asia, so it’s a useful guide to where behaviour is heading. For Australian data, WPP Media’s research found that three in four Australians already use AI search to help them buy.