If you scrolled Instagram during Wimbledon this year, you might have come across the popular influencer, Mia Zelu. She looked the part – dressed to perfection, glass of Pimm’s in hand, courtside like any other influencer. But there was one problem: she never attended. In fact, she wasn’t real at all. She was an AI-generated model.
This incident, which went viral earlier this year, represents a fundamental tension at the heart of modern marketing. On one side, there’s AI’s remarkable potential for efficiency, scale, and personalisation, but on the other, a growing lack of authenticity particularly amongst the very audiences brands most need to win over: Gen Z. For marketers looking to cut through the noise, the speed and cost-effectiveness of AI is a powerful draw; however, this scenario showcased how this efficiency can come at the cost of genuine connection.
Despite the fact that nearly 60% of marketing professionals are now actively piloting or scaling AI solutions, more than half (55%) of Gen Z audiences disapprove of AI in their advertising content. These figures present a clear and urgent dynamic for marketing professionals: as AI grows in influence, so too does the risk of alienating the audiences who prize human connection most.
Inside the Mindset of Gen Z Consumers
To understand why this disconnect is happening, brands must first have a fundamental understanding of Gen Z as a consumer base. This is a generation that places an enormous value on authenticity and trust. They don’t just want to buy from a brand; they want to feel a genuine connection and see their own values reflected in the brand’s voice.
AI’s ability to create hyper-realistic content, intended to attract consumer attention, is paradoxically having the opposite effect. When consumers encounter such content and discover it’s AI-generated, it often makes them feel tired and disengaged. This diminishes the brand’s value and creates a sense of distance, rather than resonance.
It’s also crucial to acknowledge Gen Z’s desire to be co-creators. This generation demands an active voice in shaping the products and services they use, wanting a “seat at the table” from the initial idea through to launch and beyond. Relying solely on AI for research and data crunching misses this vital human element entirely. The irreplaceable human layer provides the feedback and cultural context necessary for a brand to grow authentically.
Lastly, the emotional connection, empathy, storytelling, and cultural context that resonate with Gen Z are uniquely human traits that AI cannot yet master. While AI can generate content that looks polished, it often lacks the nuance that gives communication its depth and relatability.
For Gen Z, brands are not simply evaluated on their products or services – they are judged on the stories they tell and the values they embody. This generation expects to feel a sense of shared identity with the companies they support. That means messaging must be able to capture cultural moments, acknowledge lived experiences, and show an understanding of diverse perspectives. These are subtle but critical layers that algorithms, no matter how advanced, cannot fully replicate.
Correcting the balance: The hybrid approach
This new reality does not demand the eradication of AI from marketing given the technology’s benefits are too significant to ignore. AI is a great tool for driving efficiency, handling data, and automating tasks that free up human creativity. It can also be a powerful engine for profiling users and crunching numbers.
However, the key lies in the balance. The most successful brands are those that view their marketing strategy as a hybrid: human thought amplified by AI. In this model, the human sits in the driver’s seat, providing the soul and strategic direction – especially for nuanced tasks like crisis management and brand awareness. AI acts as the fuel, providing the data and technical insights needed to make that human-driven strategy more effective.
If brands ignore this balance, they face a double-bind. An overly human-centric approach risks falling behind the pace of technological innovation, losing crucial efficiencies that AI can provide. Conversely, relying too heavily on AI risks losing the very authentic touch that attracts Gen Z, the most discerning and culturally aware generation a brand could hope to attract.
The Future Remains Human-Centric
The choice is clear. In a world of increasing AI influence, the most successful brands will be those that use technology to reinforce their humanity, not retreat from it. The Mia Zelu incident was not a warning about AI itself, but a powerful lesson about the new rules of engagement. Authenticity is the ultimate currency, and AI is simply a tool to help the right brands earn it.
Through finding this balance, brands can transform a simple digital strategy into a powerful forward-looking approach that secures the trust and loyalty of audiences for generations to come. This is the new challenge for marketers, and the brands that master this delicate balance will be the ones that succeed in a world increasingly defined by both technology and human connection.
