Australians demand AI labelling as trust concerns grow

Meltwater and YouGov have released a global report on consumer perceptions of generative AI, finding Australians among the most cautious respondents surveyed.

Titled Trust in the Age of Generative AI, the study draws on responses from nearly 10,000 consumers across seven markets. It examines attitudes to AI-generated video, audio, images and text, and how the spread of generative AI is affecting trust in brands and the content people encounter.

In Australia, 89% of consumers surveyed want stronger government regulation around the use and disclosure of AI-generated content, while 86% say brands should clearly label AI-generated material.

The findings suggest the public is not rejecting AI outright, but placing conditions on its use. While 29% of Australians said they would trust brands less if content was AI-generated, 22% said they would trust them more, indicating that audience reaction depends partly on context and disclosure.

A larger majority drew a firmer line around misuse. Some 62% said misleading or deceptive AI content would damage trust, highlighting the reputational risk for companies that fail to explain how such material is created or presented.

Australian caution

The data also showed scepticism outweighing enthusiasm in the local market. Forty per cent of Australians said they were excited about AI, while 49% disagreed.

At the same time, many respondents expressed confidence in their ability to spot synthetic material. Around 64% said they believed they could identify AI-generated content, above the global average of 58%.

That confidence sits alongside widespread concern about the volume and realism of such material. Some 88% said they were worried they would not be able to tell what is real from what has been fabricated by AI.

Misinformation emerged as a central issue. Nearly three-quarters of Australian respondents, or 73%, said they were concerned about misinformation, while 67% said they did not find the use of generative AI acceptable in news reporting.

Those figures suggest particularly low tolerance for AI in areas where factual accuracy and editorial trust are central. Globally, acceptance of AI was highest in entertainment, at 53%, and advertising, at 47%, but much lower in news, at 21%, and influencer content, at 28%.

Social media influence

The research also examined where public discussion about AI is taking shape. Globally, 92% of high-impact conversations around AI were driven by individual creators on social media, compared with 8% from traditional news media.

Video appears to be a key driver of interest and engagement. Posts referring to AI video tripled between March 2025 and February 2026, while engagement rose 557%, outpacing other formats in both positive sentiment and audience response.

That pattern reflects the growing prominence of AI-generated clips across social platforms, where tools for creating realistic visuals and voice content have become more widely available. It also raises the stakes for brands deciding whether to adopt those formats in public-facing communications.

Meltwater Vice President ANZ Ross Candido said the findings show public trust is becoming more dependent on how AI is used and disclosed.

"As awareness of generative AI grows, trust is not disappearing, but becoming increasingly conditional," Candido said. "Australians are setting a high bar, with clear expectations for transparency and accountability. At a time when trust is in decline, brands are under increasing pressure to be more transparent and intentional in how they use AI in content and communications. But for those that get it right, that transparency creates an opportunity to build trust with their audience, a currency that is increasingly hard to earn."

YouGov Global Head of PR and Editorial Andrew Farmer said the rapid shift in public familiarity with generative AI had changed the environment for communications teams and researchers.

"Generative AI has moved from novelty to normality at remarkable speed," Farmer said. "PR and brand professionals now operate in a landscape where the line between human and machine-generated content is increasingly blurred. It is important for comms teams and brand insight analysts to understand how generative AI is shaping how audiences interpret authenticity, credibility and trust. YouGov's data suggests that ultimately, the brands that succeed in the generative era may not simply be those that adopt AI fastest, but those that earn and maintain the trust of the audiences they serve."