Authentic or Artificial?

Jun 16

Authenticity and artificial both start with the letter A.

That’s their only similarity.

When it comes to social media, brands need to be authentic to build trust with their audiences. In his book Likeable, Dave Kerpen writes that “Organizations that share highly produced content or that speak in a scripted manner appear inauthentic and breed mistrust.” And when brands come across as inauthentic, they lose the trust they seek. “You must be as honest and transparent as possible when using social media,” writes Kerpen. “Honesty and transparency build a direct relationship between you and the customer and any deviation from these values can erode brand trust forever.”

[Fake] Influence

This relates to personal brands as well, and not just large corporations. It’s a reason why influencers are becoming less popular. According to an article by Maria Petkovska for GaggleAMP, “a 2023 study found that nearly 90% of consumers no longer trust influencers” because of their lack of transparency and authenticity.

While influencers are losing ground, AI influencers are gaining it. These influencers operate like their human counterparts, but with a catch: they aren’t real. This is troublesome, as according to an article by Jasmine WIlliams for SpoutSocial on AI influencers, “Most people already struggle to tell the difference between authentic and AI-generated images. A recent study found that participants could only do so 61% of the time.”

AI is creating fake humans. But the generated results feel quite real, in part, because AI is dependent on real humans.

In recent news, user posts on Facebook and Instagram are also now fair game for AI training. In a June 2024 article by Aleksandra Worna for Snopes, Meta has a new privacy policy allowing them to use user content to train their AI. The unfolding reaction has been negative. One repercussion is a large migration of their artist user base to a new platform, Cara.

Still Being You

With AI testing us all, showcasing one’s true self is critical. Users can and should use AI to help get the process running, but should still create content that is true to them. According to an article by Chris Arkenberg for Deloitte, “Generative AI can help bring ideas to life quickly while enabling rapid iteration on concepts. However, relying on them completely is unlikely to lead to differentiation, and could undermine authenticity.” We shouldn’t shy away from technology, but should use it in a manner that is true to who we are. Otherwise, in the words of Kerpen, we breed and erode trust.

While we can rely on technology to give us tools to make better posts, it is not a replacement for the “trueness” of the human being. In a world where anything – even influencers – can be replicated by AI, people are getting tired of the fake. It’s time to be genuine. Being our normal selves online is a start at that.