Canva report: nearly every marketer uses AI, but consumers still want the human touch

"Nearly every marketer in the world is now using AI to make creative work. Nearly every consumer would still rather that a person had made it. That tension, between the industry's enthusiasm and the public's unease, is the central finding of Canva's State of Marketing and AI report for 2026, and it suggests that the harder problem in AI-assisted marketing is not production. It is permission."

"Ninety-seven per cent of marketing leaders surveyed say they use AI in their daily creative work. Ninety-nine per cent plan to increase their AI investment this year. But 78% of consumers say they would rather see adverts made by people, even if AI could produce better ones, and 87% believe the best advertising still requires a human touch. The report, based on surveys of 1,415 marketing leaders at organisations with 500 or more employees and 3,547 consumers across seven countries, captures an industry that has adopted a technology faster than its audience has learned to trust it."

"When asked what would make them more comfortable with AI in advertising, 53% cited data protection, 52% cited disclosure of AI use, 39% wanted assurances that AI is not replacing jobs, and 37% said they would like the ability to opt out of AI-generated adverts entirely. The demand for transparency is sharpened by a growing a"

Marketing leaders report near-universal daily use of AI for creative work and nearly universal plans to increase AI investment. Consumers show a contrasting preference for human-made advertising even when AI could produce better results, and many believe effective advertising still requires a human touch. Mentions of low-quality AI-generated content have increased sharply. Consumer trust depends on specific safeguards, including disclosure of AI use, strong data protection, assurances that AI is not replacing jobs, and the ability to opt out of AI-generated ads. The findings point to a permission gap rather than a production gap in AI-assisted marketing. Canva expanded its partnership with Anthropic by integrating a design engine into Claude for small business.

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