Ads generated by artificial intelligence are nearly indistinguishable from human-made ones, but new research shows they consistently underperform compared to human-made work when it comes to predicting short-term sales impact.
The first-of-its-kind study from global research firm Ipsos in collaboration with two faculty members from Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications tested 20 ads across 10 brands with 3,000 U.S. respondents. They found that human-made ads outperformed their AI counterparts, though the gap between the two was surprisingly slim.
The study paired existing human-made ads—produced before 2021 to ensure AI tools were not used—with fully AI-generated counterparts built from the same strategic brief, the document that ad professionals use to outline objectives, messaging, and tactics for a campaign. Ads were then viewed by real consumers.
The study produced three findings that promise to generate conversation across the advertising industry.
Consumers largely cannot tell the difference. Only 13% of viewers who saw an AI-generated ad were at least somewhat confident it was made by AI—the same share as viewers who suspected human-made ads were AI-generated. With 40% of all viewers uncertain either way, the line between human- and machine-made advertising is blurring quickly.
