Darshita Goyal is a lifestyle and culture writer who specialises in stories featuring Gen Z. She’s been published in 

, Mashable, and Refinery29, among other global publications.

Today, audiences are shaping the cultural agenda. Empowered to speak up for the causes they believe in, people are actively calling out brands they see as inauthentic. What are the main drivers of this behavioural shift? And how can brands win the trust of these outspoken advocates?

Assertive Audiences

Amid technologically-driven existence, people are anchoring themselves in their bodies, using physicality as both a compass and a revolt.

Primal Yearning

In May, real estate executive Gloria Caulfield delivered a commencement speech to the graduating class of the University of Central Florida. An address that usually uplifts and inspires a sea of black caps, it ended in chaotic booing from the audience when Caulfield 

, “The rise of artificial intelligence is the next industrial revolution.” The instance isn’t in isolation. The same month, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt waxed poetic about AI at the University of Arizona’s commencement speech and received precisely the same disappointed reaction. 

The Guardian

 At a time when AI seems to infiltrate every aspect of life, the tension around its pervasiveness is only growing. More so, as 89% of US grads worry that AI will replace their jobs. 

Monster

 This conflict is showing up in entertainment and music, too. Actors including Cate Blanchett, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Scarlett Johansson signed a petition opposing AI companies that train models on copyrighted creative work without licensing or consent. 

The Hollywood Reporter

Meanwhile, Spotify faced significant backlash when listeners learned that rock band The Velvet Sundown, which garnered a million monthly listeners, is entirely AI. 

Euro News

 The problem isn’t just the lack of human effort but that the brand carried a verified artist badge on Spotify, leaving users feeling betrayed. “Musicians revolted, acts like King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Deerhoof, and Xiu Xiu pulled their music off the platform,” says creative director LaTanya Beauregard. “That's not a fringe reaction, that’s working artists deciding the platform's values no longer match theirs.” 

Interview with LaTanya Beauregard conducted by the author

 Similarly, in the fitness realm, running influencer Brett Chody faced criticism for hosting a ChatGPT-sponsored wellness dinner; a 

 read “that’s the pathway to AI psychosis.” Clearly, there’s growing fear and anxiety around Big Tech; half of US adults say the increased use of AI in daily life makes them feel more concerned than excited. 

Pew Research Center

“There's now a real reputational cost to AI-generated content that didn't exist a few years ago,” says marketing consultant Ambreen Sharif. “Audiences associate it with low effort, and for any brand that association is a problem.” 

Interview with Ambreen Sharif conducted by the author

 Brands and creators are picking up on this sentiment of AI resistance and responding by asserting their humanity. 

published a story on how writers are actively including typos to show human imperfection, while others include casual slang as proof. 

The Wall Street Journal

, Rosalia sang in 13 languages, used real vocals and strings, and emphasized that the music was 

. Recently, Charlie XCX announced an event in New York with a handwritten note, relying on the scribble to connote intimacy. 

Similarly, companies such as Aerie and Dove pledged to never use AI models in their campaigns. 

Business Insider

Forbes

 As more brands are going the extra mile to show their commitment to employing human creativity, they’re building the blueprint for human communication in an era of AI domination.

After years of battling swipe fatigue, Bumble declared it’s here to fix the online dating crisis. The grand solution? An AI assistant named Bee to help users elevate their profile and pair them with value-minded individuals. 

 quick, with people comparing this move to tech horror 

 promises to help users woo romantic partners by replacing real interactions with AI-generated responses. As LLMs take over dating apps, people are finding whimsical ways to find romantic partners IRL. Look at the speed dating event hosted at a 

 or the dating workshop at an arts supply store; singles are choosing silliness over serious swipes. Similarly, as fitness becomes a priority for young Americans, countless people are using Claude to tailor workout plans or to study data. 

The New York Times

 On the flip side, a growing sect of whimsical creators are holding themselves accountable by 

Trend analyst Casey Lewis also reviewed over 1,000 TikToks in 2025 and found that ‘whimsy’ is thoroughly in. 

After School

 With automation and formulaic living becoming a mainstay, people are seeking out 

. “Whimsy is distinctly human because it usually has no obvious efficiency goal. It’s a weird choice, a funny detail, a handmade note, a surprising visual, or something that exists just to make people smile,” says Nicole van Zanten, the chief growth officer at online community management agency ICUC. “That creative judgment feels different from content that was clearly optimized by AI to perform.” 

Interview with Nicole van Zanten conducted by the author

 For instance, on social media, you will discover whimsy-maxxers who 

, don crowns while working through daily chores, or bedeck their 

Sensing the shift, brands are also embodying the playful sentiment. A Weezer festival poster in Los Angeles looked like it was drawn by a ten-year-old with doodles of guitars and misaligned handwriting. 

The New Yorker

 The publisher Picador recently released a line of reissued books by Roberto Bolaño with amateur sketches of femmes fatales, knives, snakes, and sigils. 

 This pivot to handmade whimsy is a response to the 50% of Americans who say they prefer brands that don’t use generative AI in content. 

Gartner

 “Messiness, texture, scribbles, and slightly awkward compositions are becoming visual cues of human involvement,” Agustina Panzoni, head of culture strategy at Death to Stock, told 

Vogue Business

 The feature explored how a “childlike” quality is emerging as a symbol of authenticity and intentionality. 

 Even a functional brand such as IKEA has partnered with dopamine-rich designer Gustaf Westman to create chunky, colourful dinnerware, celebrating pieces that are created with care and stand out on the table. 

House Beautiful

 With symmetry and precision associated with AI-generated imagery, whimsy – when done right – reminds people there’s still a person behind the brand with taste, humor, and a point of view.

In early 2026, Selena Gomez posted an Instagram carousel with a song titled ‘Where Your Warmth Begins’ by neo-soul artist Sienna Rose. Over the last year, Rose has garnered 2.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify and made it to the app’s Viral 50 – USA playlist. 

Rolling Stone

 But a closer look reveals that the artist has no social media profiles while her bio describes her as “anonymous.” Quickly people began questioning whether the singer was AI, and soon enough 

 discovered that Rose isn’t a real singer, it’s an AI persona. People on 

 that Spotify didn’t flag this essential detail; some even said the app actively recommended Rose’s music. Similarly, in February, Gucci sparked debate when it released editorial-style images set in Milan showing a couple posing in a car, only to later disclose that the photos were AI-generated. 

Before that, Valentino faced flak for creating a surreal, AI-generated collage to promote its DeVain handbag. 

“The resistance isn't about technology, it’s about consent and disclosure,” explains Beauregard. “People don't hate AI, they hate being deceived by it.” 

 Today, people are incessantly worried if what they’re consuming is real or AI. A recent survey showed that 70% of respondents misidentified a deepfake video of a woman as real, highlighting the widespread inability to distinguish the two. 

Veriff

 On the flip side, this anxiety often leads people to believe that human-made content is also generated by AI. In March, Le Creuset 

 in which its signature pot appears in playful forms, including a cruise ship, an umbrella and a coffee cup. As people in the comments questioned the use of AI, the brand added a comment explaining that the art was created by Ian Padgham, a digital video artist who uses a labor-intensive process to manipulate videos. 

More brands now go out of their way to clarify that their content is human-made. In 2025, Aerie, a brand known for celebrating real bodies and refusing retouched photos, released a statement that it will never use AI models. 

To take this further, in March, it released an anti-AI film campaign starring Pamela Anderson, as the actor often speaks out against altered beauty. 

 put a ‘made by humans’ note in its credits as a deliberate statement that the show is and will continue to be made by people. 

Deadline

 “Brands are labelling human-made content for the same reason food companies started labelling non-GMO or organic: the default assumption has shifted,” says van Zanten. “Consumers now assume AI involvement until told otherwise, and that assumption carries a quality penalty.” 

 At a time when people are tired of inspecting every image or campaign to see whether it’s real, the human tag becomes a trust signal.

A strawberry bride cheats on her eggplant husband. A potato businessman steals from his carrot partner. This may sound like absurd gibberish, but if you are on social media in 2026, chances are that you have come across these highly dramatized AI microdramas that touch on childhood abandonment, infidelity, and rising from rags to riches. 

Dazed

 There’s no denying that the content is AI slop; people have talked about 

 every time they watch these videos. As more viewers associate AI with low-brow brain rot, it’s hard not to extend that image to the brands using LLMs or generative engines for their campaigns. “AI as a concept doesn’t feel luxurious, because it’s something that can be done quickly and cheaply by a machine versus by a human. It kind of goes against traditional luxury codes,” Charlie Smith, the chief marketing officer of Nothing, told 

This dissonance is also visible in the accusations of low quality that brands have received for using AI. In December 2025, Coca-Cola’s holiday campaign with AI-generated polar bears, rabbits, and sloths was criticized for inconsistency; some scenes looked highly polished, while others appeared under-rendered. 

TechRadar

Before that, social media users labeled August’s J Crew x Vans AI campaign “slop” and “cheap,” and Guess’s AI-made August advert as “just wrong.” 

With Gen Zers and Yers seeking authentic storytelling that chooses vulnerability over polish, these AI-backed ads fail to capture them emotionally. 

This is made worse because 81% of Americans believe AI is used primarily to save money, not to improve service. 

SurveyMonkey

“AI content may not be cheap-looking, but it is cheap in motive. People can feel the difference between those two things even when they can't articulate it,” says Beauregard. “So AI became shorthand for the version somebody made when they didn't want to pay for the real thing.” 

 Luxury brands respond by chasing the other extreme. In January 2026, Hermès revealed a new website created in partnership with French artist Linda Merad. The luxury house replaced graphic images with pen-and-ink illustrations of whimsical sea creatures or eels to emphasize that the art was crafted by a human. 

Fast Company

By extension, this move serves as a reminder that the brand invests in real creatives and better quality over money-saving tactics. Similarly, in 2025, Bottega Veneta released its Craft Is Our Language campaign to mark 50 years of its Intrecciato weave. Zooming in on the hands that create the style, the visuals serve as an ode to craftsmanship. 

Vogue

 These luxury editorials stand in contrast to picture-perfect AI renders by spotlighting the hours that go into creating art.

Jellycats, Labubus, bag charms, and whimsymaxxing all point to the same reality: adults fatigued by optimized AI tools crave frivolous play time. In 2025, 81% of American parents were likely to buy a toy or a game for themselves, not just their children. 

The Toy Association

 As individuals desire childlike immersion, brands can build a user experience that prioritizes optimism through sensorial touch points. For the launch of its new perfume, Fleur de Lait, Miu Miu created influencer gifts with 

 sculpted to resemble ice cream. The ritual of digging through the ice cream with a scooper to discover the perfume below crafted a silly activity. 

New Wave Magazine

 “Details like handwritten notes, doodles, voice notes, texture, food, and scent matter because they feel touched by a person,” says van Zanten. “They cut through the sameness of polished digital content and give people something that feels more spontaneous, sensory and real.” 

 For brands, the opportunity lies in crafting a world where playful participation trumps perfection.

As people become more discerning, merely tagging campaigns as AI or human-made is not enough. That is the bare minimum; 63% of Americans believe it’s a company’s duty to disclose when they use AI in marketing. 

Cint

For brands to build sustainable loyalty, they must not just position themselves as creators of art in their own industry, but as custodians of holistic creativity. This is visible in the rise of fashion houses playing the role of movie studios. Balenciaga’s Summer 2025 campaign was conceived as cinematic screen tests featuring Rachel Sennott and Kyle MacLachlan, while the winter equivalent brought in Nicole Kidman. 

Hypebeast

Nylon

 2026 in New York featured filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn and video game creator Hideo Kojima presenting talks, screenings, and cinematic workshops. This move frames the brand beyond consumption, as a cultural influencer. “A blog or Instagram post used to feel like a meaningful connection with an audience,” says Sharif. “What actually cuts through now is IRL brands that are willing to slow down and create lasting moments,” says Sharif. 

 Being human is the first step for brands; the next is to celebrate human effort and innovation at every level.

In 2026, 69% of Gen Zers trust work completed without AI, while only 3% trust work solely done by it. 

Gallup

As faith in AI falls, there’s a real desire to witness imperfect but vulnerable human experience and effort. Beyond Bottega Veneta and Hermès, Bally’s Return to Heritage campaign also asserted artisanal legacy as a central pillar of its identity. Featuring stripped-down portraits of models, the ads put the spotlight on signature Bally footwear against polished white marble, highlighting the quality of the leather and the structure. 

 “Recently Patrón emphasized its craftsmanship when it collaborated with Guillermo Del Toro for a campaign that compared the handcrafted methods behind 

 to del Toro's own meticulous filmmaking,” explains van Zanten. 

 Sharing BTS content of the manufacturing process is no longer enough; brands should humanize themselves and reflect the hands and voices that shaped it at every step, from the clothing to the campaign.

of US adults say the increased use of AI in daily life makes them feel more concerned than excited

 of Americans believe AI is used primarily to save money, not to improve the quality of service

 of US adults believe it’s a company’s duty to disclose when they use AI in marketing

In the face of AI, whimsy serves as a distinctly human quality that builds on joy and creativity over blind optimization

People are fatigued from guessing if something is AI or not; brands respond by tagging campaigns with human-made labels for value-added clarity

As AI slop fills social media feeds, LLMs are associated with low quality and extend the same soulless mood to the brands that blatantly use generative tech

is co-president and chief growth officer at ICUC social, a global social media and online community management agency owned by Dentsu. They support social listening strategies for major CPG and retail brands, including Target and Nestle.

is an executive creative leader at The Walt Disney Company with over 20 years of experience building and directing creative teams. She develops integrated creative strategies for multi-million-dollar, large-scale campaigns spanning brand, product, experiential and performance marketing.

Ambreen Sharif is a creative director and marketing consultant who works with brands on strategy, campaigns and digital marketing. Her clients include Scotiabank and Payments Canada.

United States

Technology

Communications

With Americans exhausted from guessing if something is AI or not, more brands are gaining trust by using ‘made by human’ tags. The campaigns lean into creative whimsy and skill-first craftsmanship to stand apart from polished AI aesthetics. Is asserting your humanity the route to win back attention?

Analysis

Darshita Goyal

Nicole van Zanten

LaTanya Beauregard

Ambreen Sharif

Related Macro Behaviours

Assertive Audiences

Primal Yearning