Australian shoppers are giving product pages a second look. New research from Auros.ai says the average Australian has to double-check whether an online ad is real or AI-generated four times a week, and that hesitation is now showing up in conversion behaviour.
The global study of 4,000 adults, including 1,000 in Australia, found that 59% do not trust products advertised with AI to arrive as described. More than four in ten, 42%, say they have felt duped by AI-advertised products, and 44% are less likely to buy when AI has been used in the advertising.
Heavily enhanced real products are getting misread
The problem is not only obvious AI. Buyers were shown six product images spanning real, AI-enhanced and entirely AI-generated products. The toughest category was real product shots that had received heavy AI enhancement.
When shown the real, AI-enhanced car-engine coffee mug, only 20% judged it correctly and 62% assumed it was entirely AI-generated. A real 3D waterfall rug fared worse: just 8% identified it as real, while 74% thought it was fully AI. A real bedsheet ad split closer, with 37% correct and 40% convinced it was AI.
“AI is making it easier to create compelling product imagery, but growing consumer scepticism means even genuine products risk being dismissed as fake.”
Paul North, General Manager APAC at Auros.ai, says brands need to understand what makes an ad feel credible, listen to how consumers respond to AI-generated content, and be transparent about AI use so enhancements build confidence rather than doubt.
Trust is becoming a conversion metric
Perceived quality splits the room: 42% believe AI-marketed products are lower quality, 14% higher, and 44% say AI has no impact. Gen Z is the most critical at 47%, followed by Baby Boomers at 45%. Beauty and cosmetics (27%), clothing (20%) and supplements and wellness (17%) are seen as the categories most likely to use dishonest or AI-forward marketing.
Still, 35% of consumers say no use of AI by an online retailer is acceptable. The rest are more forgiving when AI helps a decision rather than replaces the product.
- Visualising products in their home — 30%
- AI-powered search recommendations — 27%
- AI-written product descriptions — 25%
- AI-generated backgrounds for real products — 23%
- Virtual try-ons — 20%
What marketers should do now
Treat AI polish like retouching, not replacement. If a product shot looks too seamless to be true, add proof elements: real texture, video, unboxing or user-generated content. Test AI-enhanced hero images against lighter edits by audience, especially in beauty, clothing, supplements and wellness. And use AI where consumers have already said yes: room visualisation, search recommendations, try-ons and backgrounds.
For D2C teams, the risk is not AI itself. It is letting AI-generated perfection become the only evidence a shopper sees. Keep the real product visible.
Source: Campaign Brief
