WordPress VIP report: AI messaging turns off most U.S. consumers

A new report from WordPress VIP—the enterprise version of the WordPress publishing platform owned by Automattic—reveals a stark disconnect between corporate AI adoption and consumer trust. According to the report, which was published on 2026-06-16, 60% of enterprise respondents reported increased traffic from AI search engines and answer platforms over the past year. In response, 74% of enterprise decision-makers consider AI discoverability and attribution a significant priority. However, 60% of U.S. consumers say that brands using “AI” in their messaging is a turnoff.

This tension is forcing companies to rethink how they design their digital presence. Brian Alvey, CTO of WordPress VIP, highlighted this shift: “People used to build websites for other people. Now you have to build websites for AI agents acting on behalf of those people. If your site’s content isn’t legible to AI, you are invisible to a growing share of how people search. You don’t exist. And if your content doesn’t feel human and trustworthy for the tiny percentage of people who actually click past the AI answer engines, they won’t come back a second time.” The report, based on a survey conducted in April of 2,000 total respondents—comprising 800 enterprise decision-makers and CMOs alongside 1,200 U.S. adults—found that nearly three in four respondents believe the internet feels less human than it did 10 years ago.

Consumer skepticism toward AI-generated content remains high. The survey found that 86% of consumers do not fully trust AI and prefer to explore original sources. In fact, 42% of consumers trust AI-generated answers without clear attribution less than airline fees, confusing privacy policies, and medical bills. To establish trust, 33% of consumers identify clicking through to an original source as their top trust signal. The survey also found that 80% of consumers believe web information should remain openly accessible rather than controlled by a few large organizations, aligning with Automattic’s broader push for an open web ecosystem.

Why it matters

Brands are caught in a paradox: they must optimize for AI agents to remain visible, but doing so risks alienating the human users who prioritize transparency and original sources.