3 ways to combat AI-generated fake content and build brand trust

Throwback to 30 November 2022: the world’s first large language model (LLM) close to breaking the internet.

Suddenly what was, and wasn’t and people – whether wearing their business or personal hat – excitedly began churning out content like poems, project plans, articles, blogs and any written form of content they could think of, in just milliseconds using ChatGPT.

It was nothing short of a watershed, albeit bewildering, moment at the same time.

Signing up its first million users in just five days “Chat” has turned the content creation table on its head and AI began to take charge.

Google’s rethink

Fast forward to mid-2024. Myriad LLMs abound.

So disruptive have these AI-driven search engines become that Google – which, let us not forget has been generating revenues of around $32.78bn a year, and I’d expect would want to keep it that way – has had a rethink.

After firing 12,000 employees who worked in its online ad marketing department, Google now is in the process of launching its turbo-charged AI Search functionality via Gemini, its own LLM: Google AI Search.

Consider it the industry incumbent’s way of taking its own back.

Whether it wins or loses to more sophisticated technology is yet to be seen.

Either way, the Gemini genie is out of the bottle and AI Search, along with the creation of Generative AI content, is firmly in control.

Or is it?

While all and sundry started using LLMs in 2023 to create reams of owned content - according to research by Exploding Topics, 77% of companies are either using or exploring the use of AI in their businesses - a lot of it started to read and/or sound the same.

While ChatGPT and its peers can provide excellent information, the downside however is that AI tends to hallucinate and be misled by poor data.

Shortly after Gemini's launch, reports began to circulate of it suggesting rocks were a core part of a balanced diet and that glue was an appropriate ingredient to thicken sauces.

This is why we hot-blooded humans are more and more seeking the truth.

Trust cannot be copied

Trust has never mattered in business more than it does today, yet price-based shopping is driving customer behaviour.

This is among the key findings of the sixth annual South African Customer Experience Report, which I co-authored with customer experience professional (CCXP) Julia Ahlfeldt and Amanda Reekie from online research tool, ovatoyou.

The truth is trust cannot be copied; it is earned.

That is why it ranks in the top five reasons (54%) that drive consumers to repeatedly buy from the same brand.

In today’s ultra-cost-conscious environment, thanks to the ever-increasing cost of living crisis, where the best price or deal continues to win, this is important.

I ‘like’ you a lot

While it cannot be ignored that price trumps trust in the short term (63% according to our research), over time, what should be at the heart of a brand’s value proposition, is a consumer’s belief and ‘like’ of their chosen brands.

An emotional connection continues to exist between product and person, regardless of how high the oil price gets, and those brands that buy into this – not at the expense of a deal but in tandem with it – will, I believe, always win over the customer.

Distrust is going to get worse - far worse

AI-created everything will make even the most gullible among us question a piece of content’s origins. Is it real? Does it exist? Is it true?

These considerations are fast becoming fact. Video, stills, copy – all of it can be and is fabricated. Fake news seems like child’s play in comparison.

Against the backdrop of today’s reality, one must ask if what is served up online is genuine information. In the wrong hands, it becomes a concern, even dangerous.

Politics for instance looks very different through an AI lens. Given the world will have had close to 64 elections by the end of 2024, it must be contemplated how much of the campaign content created was real.

What to do?

Review sites

The ability to catch a human out by showing them what they think is true is worrisome. And so, it’s behind the humble review roaring back in vogue. Proof points, experiences, testimonials; this is what will matter going forward.

Booking into a hotel? Check out what other customers said first.

Buying a bike? Was the last guy who purchased their set of pedals happy?

Review sites are super important to a consumer’s online research behaviour (74%), coming in close to product discovery via Search Engines like Google and social media (77% respectively).

It’s why today’s websites must be richer in reviews too. Without authentically sharing what your customers think of you, you could easily make anything up.

Accurate, third-party reviews give rise to accountability and authenticity and, as a study by the Medill Spiegel Research Centre at Northwestern University shows, the purchase likelihood for a product with five reviews is 270% greater than the purchase likelihood of a product with no reviews.

Doing good

Doing good as a business is becoming more important to prospects and customers alike too – and is more profitable.

Impact work in sustainability and other environmental efforts make a difference to close to 30% of people, not to mention building a brand’s reputational equity, affecting consumers’ brand loyalty and purchasing behaviour.

In a cluttered market like ours, where a local brand is also competing directly with international peers online, building brand love is key. And so is trust. Without it, a business is simply just another one of the same.

Creating moments of delight

While our 2024 CX Report indicates we are living through a pricing war, over the long-term it is everything but. South Africans still want to be wooed by those they buy from – how are you going to make me happy and encourage me to tell others about it? - while paying the right price for their pocket.

Building trust a must

As we lean into Q3 and Q4, hurtling towards the Festive Season at break-neck speed, brands and businesses would be wise and advised to keep the passion that they have with their customers alive.

Like any relationship that has built up its longevity, truth and honesty are at its heart. So too is it true for brands.

At a time when every cent counts, for both sides of the consumer and business coin, building trust is a must, especially as more and more AI-generated i.e. fake content is pumped online.