Artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly important part of the shopping journey, but consumers still want a human voice behind the machine. A new global study by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has found that 56% of consumers prefer AI-generated shopping recommendations that incorporate perspectives from creators or influencers.
The study, which surveyed 2,200 consumers across the US, UK, Australia, Mexico and India, also found that 65% feel more confident in AI recommendations when they are informed by credible creator reviews.
The findings come as AI assistants move beyond answering questions to influencing product discovery, comparison and purchase decisions. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of respondents said they use general-purpose AI assistants for shopping-related decisions, while 80% said they are comfortable relying on AI recommendations.
Younger users lead
The demand for creator-informed AI is particularly strong among younger consumers. About 65% of Gen Z and Millennials prefer recommendations that incorporate creator perspectives, compared with 53% of Gen X and 34% of Boomers.
For Gen Z, creator reviews are almost as influential as information from brands and advertisers when incorporated into AI recommendations. Creator reviews accounted for 27% of influence, compared with 29% for brand or advertiser information.
AI is also emerging as a discovery channel for creators themselves. Half of Gen Z and Millennials surveyed said they had discovered creators through AI, while nearly three in four said creator-backed recommendations increase their confidence in AI shopping advice.
The findings suggest that the relationship between creators and AI may become increasingly two-way: creators can influence AI-assisted purchasing, while AI can introduce audiences to new creators.
Trust beats fame
Consumers are not necessarily looking for the most popular influencers. Instead, the study found that credibility, consistency, expertise and transparency are more important factors in determining whether creator content is trustworthy enough to influence AI recommendations.
Everyday consumers were the most trusted creator category, cited by 52% of respondents, followed by professional reviewers at 43% and subject-matter experts at 37%.
Credibility ranked as the leading trust factor at 46%, followed by consistency at 40%, expertise at 36%, and independence from brands or transparency around sponsorships at 34%.
Consumers see creator-informed AI recommendations as particularly useful for finding the best value, cited by 38%, followed by discovering products at 32%, comparing options at 31% and summarising product information at 31%.
The appetite for creator-led AI shopping also varies by market. Consumers in India and Mexico placed the greatest value on creator-informed shopping experiences among the five markets studied. In Western markets, the US emerged as the most receptive, while consumers in the UK were generally more cautious.
For brands, the findings point to a changing role for creators as AI becomes embedded in commerce. Creator content may increasingly function not only as advertising or social proof but also as a source of information that helps shape AI-generated product recommendations.
“AI is reshaping how consumers discover and evaluate products, but as these tools become a more influential part of the shopping journey, trust will be a critical differentiator,” said David Cohen, CEO, IAB.
The IAB Insights Engine study, powered by Attest, was conducted in May 2026 among consumers who had used an AI tool for shopping-related research during the previous three months.
