Key Takeaways
- 37% of consumers have said that they trust brands more when email communications feel human, as more businesses turn to using AI within email campaigns
- Consumers aren’t completely against AI use, however, value is increasingly put on the connection they are able to make with brands based on marketing communications
- Overall, consumers prioritize personalization and relevance when it comes to brand emails, suggesting that the human touch remains vital to gaining trust
37% of consumers trust brands more when their email communications feel human, according to a recent study.
While consumers aren’t set against businesses using AI in brand emails, above all, the study shows that personalization and relevance are the key makers of trust.
Businesses can utilize AI tools for monitoring email marketing campaign success, however, the human touch remains a vital component to ensure communications feel personal.
Consumers Trust Brand Emails That Feel Human, Despite Being Less Polished
In a recent Adobe Express study, 37% of consumers revealed that they trust brands more when marketing emails feel human, even if this makes them appear less polished. This suggests that personal and authentic communications matter more to consumers today than perfection.
Similarly, 18% of consumers said they have unsubscribed from marketing emails in the past because they suspected it was written by AI.
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Adobe Express surveyed 1,007 consumers in the US as part of its study, with data being collected in December 2025.
Consumers are Generally Wary of AI in Email Marketing
On average, consumers estimated that they receive around six AI-generated emails per week, highlighting an increased use of AI within email communications. However, this isn’t always welcomed, as almost half (46%) of consumers surveyed said they would be more likely to unsubscribe from emails if they knew an email was written by AI.
Despite not all marketers embracing AI in this space, these findings suggest that consumers are increasingly paying attention to the way emails are written, and that AI use can be detrimental to how much trust is fostered between brands and their audiences.
Additionally, 78% of consumers highlighted that messages that felt too salesy or pushy made emails less appealing, as well as wordy emails (46%) and generic messaging (37%).
The Way Forward Blends AI with Human Creativity
Overall, 60% of consumers said an email that sounds like a real person wrote it is what makes it feel truly personalized.
That being said, 37% of consumers said they don’t care whether a marketing email sounds human or AI-generated, so long as the content within is useful and relevant to them. This positions personalization and relevance as the gold standard of marketing emails.
These findings state that consumers are not entirely averse to the use of AI in email marketing, however, businesses should focus on creating a balance that includes both human creativity and AI, in order to achieve the personalization and relevance consumers feel from a human-written email.
AI can be highly beneficial to campaigns, by monitoring key metrics and analyzing trends for example, but businesses seem apt to lose their audience when they attempt to replace the trust consumers feel from human creativity.
