Consumers around the world aren’t happy about AI use in advertising. According to new research from The Harris Poll, more than two-thirds of global consumers view AI as largely a “marketing ploy” — one that could make them think less of the companies loudly promoting it. The research, shared at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, found that 78% of consumers believe AI makes ads “feel less authentic”; the same amount said they find brands “cringey” when over-using AI.
This negative attitude carries directly into purchasing decisions. Around 63% said they would be less likely to buy from a brand that uses AI-generated ads, while 73% said they would be less likely to trust an ad they suspected was made using AI. More than half of consumers agreed that they hear so much about AI that “it’s starting to annoy them,” and around two-thirds said they would “love if brands would never mention meaningless AI marketing again.”
Behind these consumer attitudes lies a different reality for the advertising industry. More than half of industry professionals reported using AI for idea generation and concepting, and about half said they also used the technology for visual asset creation. Fewer — about 4 in 10 — used AI for processes like copywriting, audience targeting, and media planning. Meanwhile, references to AI are climbing rapidly in marketing materials. According to a report from Sensor Tower, there has been a double-digit surge in advertising containing AI-related terms across categories. The phrase “AI-powered” is particularly popular in app descriptions.
Some brands have loudly embraced AI in their advertisements. Coca-Cola’s AI-generated holiday ads have caused controversy, and Svedka used AI to produce and animate robots for its Super Bowl ad earlier this year. However, others seem to have noticed the consumer fatigue and are taking a different approach. Apple has emphasized handcrafted advertisements through behind-the-scenes footage, while brands like Almond Breeze and Equinox have used AI semi-ironically, making fun of the technology to highlight the realness of their products.
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1.1.The word “cringey” in Paragraph 1 probably means ______.
A mysterious
B attractive
C embarrassing
D convincing
解析：选C。C 词义猜测题。第一段指出78%的消费者认为AI让广告“feel less authentic”（感觉不真实），同时用“cringey”形容过度使用AI的品牌。从“not happy”、“marketing ploy”（营销噱头）、“think less of”（看不上的)等负面表述可推断，“cringey”表达的是一种反感与尴尬。C项embarrassing最符合该语境。故选C。
2.2.What did the findings in Paragraph 2 reveal?
A Growing consumer fatigue.
B Increasing brand loyalty.
C Rising product sales.
D Falling AI quality.
解析：选A。A 推理判断题。第二段先点明“This negative attitude carries directly into purchasing decisions”，随后用数据支撑：63%不太可能购买AI广告品牌的产品，73%不太信任疑似用AI制作的广告，半数以上对AI话题感到 “annoy them”（厌烦），约三分之二希望品牌 “never mention meaningless AI marketing again”（不再提无意义的AI营销）。这些数据共同指向消费者对AI营销的深层态度——厌倦与疲惫。故选A。
3.3.What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?
A Consumer attitudes toward AI.
B The spread of AI in advertising.
C Professionals’ concerns about AI.
D The cost of using AI in ads.
解析：选B。B 段落大意题。第三段与前两段构成转折关系：开头“Behind these consumer attitudes lies a different reality”表明行业实际情况与消费者态度不同。随后用数据说明AI在广告业的应用广度和增长速度——“More than half”的从业者用AI做创意生成，“about half”用于视觉素材，同时“references to AI are climbing rapidly”、 “AI-powered is particularly popular”。全段核心是AI在广告行业的普及。故选B。
4.4.What is the author’s attitude toward AI in advertising?
A Strongly supportive.
B Completely against.
C Objectively reporting.
D Greatly confused.
解析：选C。C 观点态度题。全文未出现作者的个人评价或倾向性语言，始终以客观方式呈现研究数据和事实：According to new research from The Harris Poll...、The research found that...、According to a report from Sensor Tower...，以及不同品牌的做法。作者没有表达支持或反对AI在广告中的应用，也没有表现出困惑。C项Objectively reporting（客观报道）准确概括了作者中立的写作立场。故选C。
