Every brand is currently exploring AI integration in their marketing efforts to streamline the path to purchase. To move beyond the hype, Critical Mass, in partnership with Microsoft Advertising, surveyed 3,000 consumers aged 18 to 80 to determine what they actually value in AI-driven interactions. At the core of the partnership is a shared belief between Critical Mass and Microsoft Advertising that the most effective AI experiences begin with deep customer understanding — not just automation for automation’s sake.The “What People Really Want from AI” findings presented at Possible 2026 by Grant Owens, global chief strategy officer at Critical Mass, and Nathalie Krup, senior director of global agency development at Critical Mass, dispel myths about the technology and highlight a critical shift. AI is no longer reserved for complex, high-consideration purchases. It has become a trusted, everyday decision partner.Not only for high-consideration purchasesThe first major shift in 2026 is the pervasiveness of AI in low-consideration or everyday shopping. While early adoption was rooted in complex sectors like automotive or financial services, AI use has moved into commonplace essentials. According to the survey, one-third of respondents now use AI daily.“It's really in everyday life that people are tapping into it and asking questions,” said Owens, noting they are also looking for savings. “They're saying things like ‘I'd love it to be able to buy all sales and coupons automatically’ and ‘I'd like it to be able to hunt for deals.’”Four-fifths of respondents (80%) say they are satisfied or very satisfied with their AI-influenced purchases. The top categories for AI-assisted decision making are clothing, shoes and accessories (55%), everyday household items (53%), health and wellness (51%), home electronics and appliances (43%) and restaurants and food delivery (43%).This increased usage creates a new urgency for data hygiene. “There's no category that doesn't need to be thinking about how consumers interact with AI experiences in the digital space, and fast-moving goods require real-time data,” Owens explained. “Think about the partnerships you need to put into place with the data exchanges. It's not a one-time set-it-and-forget-it model.”(L-R) Krup and OwensGaining perspective for collaborationConsumers are using AI for more than just price comparisons. They are using it for personalized support and deep, expert-level research. This has fundamentally changed how they interact with the internet.That connection has improved consumer confidence and expertise. According to the survey, one-third of respondents say AI has enabled them to become an expert on a specific topic.Further, the study found that 52% of respondents revisit AI prompts to continue exploring a topic and 44% say AI has introduced them to an idea, concept or product they hadn’t heard of before.While the human internet is still the largest, Krup outlined that automated traffic is growing eight times faster than human traffic, and brands must understand how to show up with customers – not only the humans browsing, but also the AI systems working on their behalf. Brands should be experimenting with these systems and, importantly, applying the learnings. Their closest decision partnerAI is moving from a simple tool to a consumer’s closest decision partner. Users are increasingly willing to share personal information with AI platforms.One-third of consumers say they shared personal information with an AI platform that no one else knows. Additionally, 85% of consumers say AI tools should ask them about their preferences, 78% say it should remember them and 61% want AI to ask them questions to get to know them better.Brand loyalty is now becoming dependent on these AI-managed relationships. Two-thirds (66%) say they’re more loyal to brands that manage AI relationships well. “Don't let that first-party understanding, that real deep consumer understanding, go to somebody else,” Owens advised. “It’s like handing the keys to the kingdom over to someone else.”Trust comes from transparencyDespite their satisfaction, consumers remain wary. A clear takeaway of the research is how trust is gained in this new frontier — specifically trust can be built through transparency and clarity. More than two-thirds of respondents (68%) are more comfortable when ads or sponsored results in AI are clearly labeled, and 85% say it’s important to see where information originated. “A lot of the learned behaviors we have had from more than 20 years of traditional human internet apply to the AI internet, especially as it relates to ads,” Krup explained.Nearly four-fifths of respondents (78%) want AI to admit uncertainty when necessary. There is no one trusted source: 37% prefer search engines, 36% friends and 26% AI chats.Ensuring AI is approached responsibly, supported by a governance framework and standards that ensure AI systems are designed, deployed and monitored responsibly across the entire lifecycle is something all organizations must be considering. For brands, this creates an opportunity to build trust and differentiation by adopting similar practices, prioritizing transparency, mitigating bias and safeguarding consumer data, so AI experiences are aligned with evolving consumer expectations around accountability and trust. Retaining agencyWhile agentic AI that acts on a user's behalf is a hot topic, consumers still want to be in charge.The majority (54%) say AI and search results together drive the most confidence, but 62% prefer that AI suggests options rather than making the final decision. In reality, only 5% are willing to let AI make a recommendation without double-checking it.“It goes back to being clear about where the information came from, letting people verify and validate,” Owens emphasized. “As they get more comfortable, some of these interactions may become more autonomous.”His advice? Start by solving for a particular segment of the consumer journey rather than trying to automate the entire process.“If you get [a portion] perfect, you’ll continue to build that trust for the interaction and eventually we’ll get from A to Z,” Grant explained.The survey reveals there is a trust paradox. Consumers approach AI with a combination of skepticism and high expectations.“Today, consumers don’t fully trust AI, but they trust the potential,” Krup explained. “You’ve got these skeptics that are double-checking their answers, but at the same time, a lot of people are divulging things they don’t divulge to anyone else. This is not irrational behavior, it’s human behavior.”As brands navigate 2026, the key is to respect this balance of caution and curiosity. By maintaining first-party data ownership and establishing high standards for transparency, marketers can turn AI into a bridge rather than a barrier.Critical Mass and Microsoft Advertising also hinted that additional research, insights and industry conversations on the topic will roll out at Cannes and other major industry events throughout the year.Critical Mass is a global marketing agency that works to power connected ecosystems that make brands such as Apple, Adobe, BMW, Nike, Diageo, Airbnb and BNY stand out by driving performance with data, technology, AI, creative and media.