The personal touch: An AI & email communication sentiment report

Contents of article

The use of AI within email marketing is a significant trend, with brands increasingly relying on this technology to enhance efficiency and scale personalization efforts.

In a 2024 Forbes Advisor survey, 47% of email marketers reported using AI when creating their email marketing campaigns, primarily for tailored marketing, retargeting, subject line optimization, and predictive analytics.

However, this shift raises concerns about AI’s impact on consumer relationships. As it becomes more widely used in email communication, customers are becoming more aware of non-human interactions, often viewing them negatively. This raises the question of whether using AI could undermine brand trust, emotional connection, and authenticity. 

Our latest study, ‘The Personal Touch,’ explores consumer attitudes towards AI-generated emails across different generations. It aims to assess how AI in email communications affects consumer engagement, trust, and loyalty, ultimately helping brands strike the right balance between technological innovation and maintaining a personal touch in their customer interactions.

Can consumers recognize AI in emails, and how do they perceive it? 

According to our survey, nearly one in five (18%) believe that AI is ‘moderately obvious in a negative way’ when used in emails, noting that it impacts the quality of brand communication. Additionally, more than half of consumers of all ages (55%) think that AI-generated comms come across negatively, whether apparent or not.

The youngest generation surveyed, Gen Z, is particularly critical and tuned to a brand’s use of AI in emails. With 24% of this group finding AI usage ‘very obvious and negative’ and 64% viewing AI as inherently ‘negative’ for communication, it's clear younger consumers are highly sensitive to how language is used in digital comms and know when a message lacks the personal touch.

At the same time, Baby Boomers, while less likely to identify AI in emails, still share the same concerns. 17% said they find AI hard to detect, which is ultimately damaging, with 56% telling Exclaimer that they view AI-generated content negatively.

Millennials offer a more divided perspective. While 19% find AI’s presence to be ‘moderately obvious in a negative way,’ they are generally more open to AI than other age groups. In fact, almost half (49%) believe that AI-generated brand communications can be positive, indicating a conditional acceptance of the technology.

Overall, 76% of consumers would prefer brands using AI in their email comms to disclose this. This preference is particularly strong among Baby Boomers (82%) and, surprisingly, Gen Zers aged between 16-17 (79%).

What are consumers' biggest concerns?

Authenticity 

When asking consumers what element of trust is most negatively impacted by brands using AI in email communication, a significant concern was the perceived lack of authenticity.

According to our survey, 41% of respondents believe that AI-driven emails make brands feel less authentic, reducing their genuineness and transparency. This ranges from 33% of Gen Zs to 43% of Gen X’ers

A brand’s perceived lack of authenticity can impact its image, credibility and reputation, which, in turn, could result in a loss of customers and have a detrimental impact on sales and revenue.

Connection

27% of consumers also express a lack of connection with a brand that uses AI in emails, worrying that messages might seem robotic and less personalized.

Customer focus 

Another pressing concern is a lack of customer focus, with 24% of consumers worrying that AI-driven email communications might make brands appear less attuned to their needs and preferences.

Consumers indicate that a human touch is essential in customer support emails, with 38% of consumers ranking this type of communication as something that should never use AI.

How does AI in email communication impact brand and consumer relationships?  

Incorporating AI in email communications can cause brand distrust 

Trust is crucial in brand relationships. However, AI’s usage in email communication has introduced significant challenges. Much of these stem from consumers' concerns about the absence of a human touch behind the brand.

55% of respondents report losing trust in brands that use AI within their emails, leading to them no longer want to engage with the brand. This sentiment is particularly strong among Gen Z (70%) – among those aged 16-17, this statistic rises to 93%.

Brands who use AI in emails will suffer a decline in consumer brand loyalty  

Our survey findings show that 79% of consumers would consider switching to a competitor if their interactions with a brand were solely done through AI, with Gen Z (85%) being the most likely to do so. 

This highlights a significant risk for businesses, which could see  their brand reputation damaged and  a loss of customer revenue. This  in turn would cause problems for business growth further down the line.

The results also show that consumers are less likely to recommend brands that use AI in email communication, with over half of respondents (51%) indicating this. When broken down generationally, most age groups told us that they would be less likely to recommend brands that overtly use AI, with the strongest sentiment coming from Baby Boomers and Gen Z. 

Consumers are more likely to ignore AI generated emails from brands 

A substantial majority of consumers (88%) disregard marketing emails they suspect are generated by AI. In contrast, fewer than 1 in 20 (4%) always engage with AI-generated marketing communications. This underscores the importance of providing a personal touch within emails in order to meet consumer expectations and create higher levels of engagement.

Gen X are the most likely to ignore AI-generated emails. A staggering 92% say they sometimes, often, or always ignore those messages that lack a personal touch. 

Baby Boomers closely follow, with 89% stating they are likely to ignore AI-generated mail. This was then followed by Gen Z (87%) and Millennial (86%).

This tendency for consumers to ignore AI-generated marketing emails has significant implications for brands. They risk losing valuable engagement and missing opportunities to connect with audiences. The widespread skepticism shown throughout our findings highlights the need for brands to balance using AI and including a human touch in their email communications. 

To keep consumers engaged and avoid being ignored, brands should invest in creating more authentic, engaging content that resonates on a personal level, rather than relying solely on AI-generated messaging.

Over half of consumers feel frustrated by brands who use AI in email comms 

53% of respondents report annoyance and frustration towards brands relying solely on AI for email communication. This dissatisfaction shows the risks brands face when they neglect to incorporate a humanized, personal touch in their communications, potentially undermining consumer satisfaction and engagement.

The findings also highlight the risk of alienating customers and diminishing their overall satisfaction, damaging a brand's image as a result.

Despite these frustrations, 51% of consumers remain open to using AI to improve certain aspects of consumer-brand relationships. More than half acknowledge the potential benefits of AI, particularly in enhancing send and response times. Interestingly, Gen Z, despite being among the most critical of AI, represent the largest group (57%) who "sometimes" recognize AI's advantages in this area.

Is consumer tolerance for AI-generated emails dependent on the industry? 

Consumer attitudes toward the use of AI in email communications vary significantly by industry, with certain sectors facing more resistance than others.

Healthcare

The healthcare industry stands out as the sector where consumers are most opposed to the use of AI in emails. More than half of those surveyed (52%) believe healthcare should not use AI in its communications, with Gen X showing the strongest opposition (61%). This resistance likely stems from the sensitive nature of healthcare communications, where trust, human compassion, personal attention, and privacy are critical. 

Financial services

The financial sector is another industry where  consumers are very cautious over the use of AI in email communications, with 18% saying that it should never be used. Older generations, such as Baby Boomers (26%), exhibit even higher levels of concern, twice that of Gen Z (13%). 

This apprehension likely stems from Baby Boomers having more at stake financially, with 29% having more than £70,000 in investable household assets. This is compared to 19% of Generation X and 12% of Millennials. As such, Baby Boomers may prefer human oversight to guarantee accuracy and security. 

Retail and Tech

Consumers demonstrate more acceptance of AI in communications from retail and tech-related brands. Only 6% of respondents oppose  the use of AI in retail communications, highlighting a general comfort with AI's integration into this sector.  In the tech industry,  just 4% of respondents had concerns about AI-generated content. This positive view may come from fewer expectations around privacy and accuracy from these sectors. 

Is a personal touch important in email communications?

Despite technological advancements around AI, customers continue to value personalized interactions that make them feel understood and appreciated. Our survey reveals that, whether consumers can identify AI-driven communications or not, they consistently associate machine-generated content with a lack of trust, emotional connection, and authenticity that only human-driven communication can offer.

Therefore, businesses must tread carefully when integrating AI into their communications strategies. Since the majority of consumers see AI-driven emails as negative, this can harm brand perception and trust. Brands that fail to strike the right balance between AI and personalization risk alienating their audience, especially younger generations who are more critical of AI's role in communication. To maintain a positive brand image, companies should focus on the subtlety and human-like quality of AI interactions, ensuring that the technology enhances rather than detracts from the customer experience.

As AI continues to evolve, it will offer many powerful ways to enhance efficiency and personalization at scale. However, AI alone cannot replicate the genuine human connection that’s essential for building lasting customer relationships. Authenticity, empathy, and trust are factors that remain critical to consumers, and it's the "personal touch" that best delivers these qualities.

Further findings

44% of those surveyed say that AI communications are only “sometimes” aligned to their interests, preferences or concerts. This sentiment appears across all age groups.

32% of consumers believe that AI is most beneficial for personalized discounts and offers. This sentiment is shared across all age groups.

Methodology

This campaign surveyed 1,000 individuals aged 16-54+ using DIY market research provider, Pollfish.