As many as 70% of people are “hesitant” or “unwilling” to trust others with different values, cultures, or lifestyles, reported in Edelman’s 2026 Trust Barometer, which surveyed 34,000 consumers in 28 countries.
As economic uncertainty has grown, so have polarization and insularity. In the U.S., the biggest trust gaps are between high-earners and low-earners, with the low earners being far less trusting of institutions and outsiders, as reported by the same survey.
However, businesses and employers remain the most trusted institutions in the survey, making them natural choices for building connections, bridges, and communities to increase trust.
More than ever, brands can respond by becoming “trust brokers,” helping people to find common ground and to bridge differences. When brands tell authentic stories and create unique brand experiences, they develop communities of trust. This is particularly true in times of economic uncertainty, global conflict, and inflation when consumers seek personal stability. Consumers “have a hunger for active brands in their lives”, per Edelman.
“Trust has become the new decisive factor in marketing”, the report says. Brands that provided a sense of hope, optimism, and community are the biggest winners.
– Watch it as a 13-minute video
– Listen as a podcast
When a brand has earned trust from its users, customers, consumers, or the general public, it gives them complete peace of mind to rely on its functionality, quality, promises, reputation, prestige, and even associated causes and aspirations the brand stands for.
Brand trust is the prerequisite for brand loyalty, often resulting from superb brand experience beyond products and services. Brand trust is different from trusting an organization or a person. It lies in believing the promises underneath a product or service, even to the extent of becoming part of a person’s identity.
Brand trust extends to the purpose that animates the brand. That is, the reason the brand exists beyond making a profit. While purpose may include social issues or other causes, it should start with the way the brand treats employees, customers, and the public as a whole.
80% of consumers trust “their” brands more than any institution, including government and media. And 88% of consumers say trust is just as important as quality and price when choosing brands. These figures are taken from Edelman’s 2025 Trust Barometer survey of 15,000 consumers in 15 countries.
“Consumers want to buy more from brands they love.” according to 2026 Qualtrics survey of 20,000 consumers in 14 countries. While consumers are becoming more price sensitive, they are willing to spend extra for better experiences, not just better products and services. And despite economic uncertainty, 68% of consumers in a 2026 Salsify consumer survey said they are willing to pay more for trusted brands.
In the B2B segment, an Ipsos / LinkedIn survey found that 94% of marketers consider brand trust the most important driver of success. The survey calls trust “the B2B growth engine” and reports that trusted brands enjoy stronger performance across the buyer journey.
What does brand trust mean in the age of AI transformation, and how can brands maximize it?
Consumers are beginning to accept AI, but with caution. Consumers want AI to demonstrate value for them, not just cut costs for brands. Above all, brands must maintain an authentic voice to offset an ocean of “AI slop” that undermines trust and credibility.
A generational divide. Millennials are the group most likely to trust AI, at 31%, according to a 2026 Salsify survey. Gen Z and younger consumers are more skeptical and less willing to trust AI. The top incentive to buy through AI tools is the ability to get “detailed product information and specifications.”
A report by consulting firm Heibing reaches similar conclusions. It finds that Millennials are relatively more trusting but want brands to demonstrate “community impact” and “purpose-driven commitments.” Millennials reward brands that build long-term relationships with them.
Gen Z is different, according to the report. They are more skeptical, more interested in value for money, and more willing to jump from brand to brand.
Even so, Gen Z shoppers favor brands with authentic stories, missions, and values. And “Gen Z can spot disingenuous branding instantly,” write the authors. Brands that look too polished, make vague promises, or fail to keep promises, quickly lose Gen Z’s trust.
As for Boomers – nobody is talking about them in 2026! They are deemed too old, not buying enough stuff, and obsolete. (I, for one, protest!)
AI customer service erodes trust. Customer service is an area where AI is failing to deliver value, according to the Qualtrics survey. In fact, chatbots and other AI tools are eroding brand trust. When asked whether AI tools provided positive customer service experiences, the sample of 20,000 consumers replied with an emphatic “no.”
Compared with the average for all AI tools, AI customer service received negative 12 points for being easy to use or convenient, negative 10 points for saving time, and negative 10 points for providing useful information. More than half of consumers said they received no benefit from chatbots and other AI-powered customer service tools.
The best remedy for these poor results is to use AI tools to support humans, not replace them, according to the report. Customers should, at minimum, be able to speak to a person when the AI system cannot resolve the problem.
AI-content and engagement. According to a Hubspot survey, 80% of marketers reported using AI for content creation in 2026. But the survey finds that consumers often “tune out” AI-generated content, which they find too “average,” too “polished” – and not engaging in either case.
As we discussed in an earlier article, without guardrails and planning, the use of AI-generated content – including “digital humans” and “virtual influencers” – can make consumers lose trust in your brand.
Consumers prefer unfiltered and even unscripted human content to AI content, according to Hubspot. To keep their audiences, brands need to develop authentic content that doesn’t fall into “deepfake” or “uncanny valley” territory.
Gen Z, in particular, wants content that isn’t “glossed to perfection,” finds Hiebing. They prefer brands that tell honest stories and feel authentic over brands that try to appear flawless.
Keeping humans in control, more than in the loop. The brands winning consumer trust are using AI to support, not replace human connection, according to the Hubspot report. Visible evidence of a “human in the loop” – that real people stand behind the algorithm – is required to build brand trust. Similarly, the Qualtrics survey concludes that AI tools perform best when they support humans, instead replacing them. We at 10 Plus Brand believe that humans must lead AI instead of being led by AI.
Another way to keep humans in control is through personal branding. Brands that develop authentic brand stories and share the experiences of their founders and employees have a natural advantage when it comes to connecting on a human level. Another approach is to “share the road” with consumers, employees, and outside content producers so that their stories become part of your brand’s story.
Don’t be afraid to share challenges and vulnerabilities, they make your brand more relatable.
Some brands are in a “data land grab” and treat consumers’ personal information as a commodity to be exploited. That attitude is short-sighted. For long-term success, privacy and transparency provide the foundations for trust.
Personalization and privacy. While consumers say they want personalized experiences, only 41% believe the benefits of personalization justify the loss of privacy, according to Qualtrics. Just 39% of consumers believe brands use their personal data responsibly.
Brands need action, not just words, when it comes to data privacy. Consumers are tired of being exploited for data and will abandon brands that push too far.
For example, Qualtrics reports that 46% of consumers said they would be more willing to share data if businesses were transparent about its collection and use. And 45% want the ability to delete data collected about them. A report by eMarketer finds that 66% of consumers would gain trust if brands were transparent about data collection and use.
Privacy as a business strategy. The Harvard Business Review’s May-June 2026 issue weighs in with a piece entitled Data Privacy is a Growth Strategy. Reporting on research conducted over four years on 280 different brands, the authors link strong data privacy to higher “intent to purchase” and greater shareholder value.
They call data protection “privacy stewardship,” which means caring for customer data “over the long-term and not exploiting it for short-term gain.” To become good stewards and build brand trust, they say brands should have policies and practices that:
Privacy stewardship requires clear intent and positive action, not another long-winded legal disclaimer. As the authors write, “Show that you care about your customers’ best interests, not just your profits. Make them feel as if privacy is part of the product rather than something layered on top.”
Brand trust is where companies clearly differentiate themselves from the competition. Brands that communicate their authentic values, build community, and protect consumer data are building a brand moat that will protect them in the long-term.
“User experience is brand experience. Brand experience is enterprise destiny in the AI Age”, per Joanne Z. Tan.
If you would like to learn more about brand trust, please contact us.
About the Author, Joanne Z. Tan, 10 Plus Brand, and AIXD
Joanne Z. Tan is a global brand strategist, thought leadership coach, and founder of 10 Plus Brand, Inc. and its subsidiary AIXD.world. She advises executives, founders, and organizations on building influential, differentiated brands that drive visibility, credibility, and revenue growth. Her work integrates strategic positioning, AI-era brand architecture, and executive thought leadership to help leaders become recognized authorities in their industries.
AIXD (AI Experience Design) is a global platform and community focused on advancing responsible, human-centered artificial intelligence. It brings together leaders, technologists, strategists, and innovators to explore how AI can be designed, implemented, and governed to enhance human experience and long-term business value. Through thought leadership, collaboration, and strategic dialogue, AIXD aims to shape the future of AI – human symbiosis with impact, innovation, and integrity.
© Joanne Z. Tan, 2026. All rights reserved.
