When was the last time you saw an original piece of content that really blew you away? Authenticity is often lost amidst a deluge of AI-generated product images, interchangeable claims and polished corporate statements. There's lots of brand communication, but it often all sounds exactly the same. This means users scroll past their message before any resonance is achieved.
Nathalie Nahai is an author and much sought-after tech expert at international level. She analyses how digital environments change our behaviour and why organisations will only remain relevant if they produce clear, coherent and authentic communication.
Why trust is becoming fragile
Automating content may make production easier, but it also means it is much more interchangeable. Organisations that use the same claims, the same visual language and the same AI-generated messages as everyone else lose their identity and image. People scroll through hundreds of posts every day and only take the time to look at those where they recognise that values are actually being put into practice. Nahai does not believe clear resonance is achieved by posting more content – what really matters is the company's ethos.
Her view is borne out by research too. Studies on what is known as the 'AI authorship effect' show that AI-generated content appears less authentic in emotional messages and even triggers a defensive response in many people. Consumers are more likely to feel moral distaste, leading to fewer positive recommendations and lower customer loyalty. The conclusion to be taken from this is that we don't want to have feelings communicated to us by machines.
This moral defensive response explains why emotional storytelling created by artificial intelligence—especially in advertising and brand communication—is often unsuccessful. It is also the reason why trust becomes fragile when organisations try to automate a sense of proximity.
How brands retain their identity
Younger target groups in particular expect coherence: companies should not simply communicate who they are, they must demonstrate it through their actions too. Nahai believes communication must be based on a genuine culture rather than interchangeable claims. Successful brands use technology as a tool – for example, to develop ideas, to create different variants that can be further curated and refined, or to summarise longer concepts and make them easier to understand. AI can create real added value in these areas.
But the real creative force—the spark of imagination, thought and empathy—is and remains human. Nahai remarks: "Just because something can be outsourced to AI doesn't mean it should be. Think things through carefully. Use AI wisely – and you can achieve a lot."
Live at the European Trend Day
The issues that Nathalie Nahai explores concern organisations worldwide: How can attention and a sense of trust be maintained when content is becoming increasingly artificial? How can companies remain human in an automated environment? She will focus on these topics in her presentation at the European Trend Day at the GDI. She will outline how brands can stand out from the digital noise and build lasting relationships. She will provide insights into how companies can turn trust into loyalty and why true affinity will become one of the greatest differentiating factors in the coming years.