In IAB research, 56% of consumers prefer AI shopping recommendations that draw on perspectives from creators or influencers. For marketers, this preference is a reason to review how product reviews are commissioned and distributed. When creator work informs AI recommendations, its potential value extends beyond the creator’s immediate audience. The commercial test is whether that information improves discovery and purchase confidence; producing more content alone doesn’t meet it.
Consumer Preference Supports a Change in Content Priorities
IAB’s findings draw on 2,200 consumers who had recently used AI to research purchases across five markets: the U.S., U.K., Australia, Mexico, and India.
The sample provides evidence of demand among shoppers already using these tools. It doesn’t establish the same preference across all consumers, or prove that creator perspectives increase sales.
The strongest supported change concerns the role of credible product information. A creator’s firsthand assessment can help an AI system describe suitability, while giving shoppers reasons to trust its guidance.
For marketers, this potentially expands the job of a review beyond persuading followers during a campaign. The same material may inform product consideration elsewhere, including recommendations generated through AI.
That possibility changes content selection. Detailed experience with a product becomes commercially relevant alongside audience reach, although the evidence doesn’t establish their relative returns.
Human Discussions Are Attracting Investment From AI Companies
In February 2024, Google expanded its Reddit partnership to gain access to structured discussions through Reddit’s Data API. OpenAI followed with a separate Reddit agreement in May 2024.
The agreements reflect a broader pattern of AI companies investing in access to information people contribute. They provide stronger evidence of commercial commitment than general claims about authenticity.
Commissioned creator reviews aren’t interchangeable with Reddit discussions. Nor do the agreements establish preferential treatment for branded reviews or show that any particular creator will influence recommendations.
Still, both involve information grounded in people’s experiences and opinions. For brands, the practical opportunity is to make credible product assessments available and understandable beyond their original distribution channel.
Freshness also has a useful role. Recent reviews can describe current products, while comments may expose concerns that polished campaign materials omit.
That creates a trade-off for marketing teams. More accessible customer commentary may improve product understanding without consistently improving the brand’s portrayal.
Make Reviews Interpretable, Then Measure Their Contribution
Brands can respond with one concrete project: publish substantive creator reviews with clearly identified product and authorship details.
For each review, preserve visible information and matching structured data covering:
- The creator’s identity and the specific product reviewed.
- The publication date and any rating provided.
- The review itself, including firsthand observations about using the product.
These details can help AI interpret the material. They don’t guarantee that a recommendation will include it.
The performance question then moves beyond engagement on the original post. A useful test would examine recommendation inclusion, visits associated with those recommendations, and subsequent purchase behavior where measurement permits.
Customer response deserves separate attention. Greater confidence may help consideration, but marketers need to distinguish that response from completed purchases.
The Investment Case Still Needs Conversion Evidence
The available evidence supports consumer preference and AI companies’ interest in human contributions. It doesn’t quantify incremental revenue from creator-informed recommendations.
The opportunity would weaken if published reviews rarely appeared in relevant answers, or inclusion produced little qualified traffic. It would also weaken if expressed preference failed to translate into stronger purchase confidence or buying behavior.
Marketers therefore have grounds for a focused test, rather than a wholesale reallocation of creator budgets. Commission credible product assessments, make their details interpretable, and evaluate their contribution beyond social engagement before expanding investment.
