I can’t share anything with my eight-year-old nephew without him questioning if it is AI. The Brooklyn Bridge caught fire after the fireworks display. He was convinced it was AI. Tony Hawk’s 900 in 1999? Obviously, AI.

If you saw his expression, you would quickly see this is not a compliment, but rather an assumption that immediately dismisses what I am sharing and causes him to lose interest. Even when something happens in front of his eyes, he will use “AI-generated” as a slang insult to invalidate a situation. 
Without understanding the nuances, uses, risks and future of this technology, he has already formed a strong opinion. 

While he may not be the target demographic for workplace AI implementation, he is not alone in his instinctive distrust of AI-generated content. 

At Cannes Lions this year, the Harris Poll released a new, aptly titled report, I Never Asked For This, which revealed that consumers have had enough of AI slop, with 78% of respondents saying that a brand becomes "cringey when it uses AI too much." 

This vibes-based analysis is also translating to consumer behavior: 63% said they would be less inclined to purchase from a brand using AI-generated advertising, and 73% would find it hard to trust ads made with AI.

We have already seen brands suffer social repercussions from this type of AI use, and a resurgence of raw, authentic advertising in response. 

So, when does excessive AI reliance cause burnout, for you and your audience? 

We know AI can do wonders for productivity and workflow optimization, but knowing when its implementation is smart or when it is a gimmick is key. So how do you incorporate AI into your work without wasting time, trust and money?

ON24 shared helpful insights from industry leaders in The State of AI in B2B Marketing in 2026 Report. After reviewing the findings, three strategies for marketers stood out:

Add to existing workflows

Do not start from scratch. AI agents can help you move faster, but they can only improve what your team has built.

The report suggested, “Rather than starting from scratch, review and improve workflows and processes from your existing assets. This offers the chance to gain more from your current content and experiences as you define key actions, allowing you to put agents and automation to work for every future campaign.”

While AI can increase productivity, do not rule out the importance of your team's lived experience and human insight. Effective workflows come out of trial and error. Amplify these findings by automating only after you know what works best for your team. 

Start slow and build

Do not over-commit. The report warns that while AI agents are on the rapid rise, analyst firms predict a large portion of projects will be canceled by next year due to costs, risks and unclear value. Informed, steady implementation is the way to ensure you are adding value and future-proofing your use. 

“For B2B marketing leaders, the recommendation is to focus AI expansion around a small number of high-value workflows," the report stated. "Campaign planning, content reuse, webinar follow-up, personalization, sales handoff, and measurement are practical starting points. Each workflow should have an approved data source, a human review point, a system of record, and a success metric before it is scaled.”

Keep human regulation involved

Don’t let your AI agents operate in a dark hole. Keep a close eye on results to mitigate risks and preserve user trust. As ON24 advised: “Start where the workflow is observable and measurable, with marketing activities that generate clear signals of buyer intent or other commercial metrics. Agents can then use this data to complete clearly defined tasks, while they review signals and metrics to optimize their efforts.” 

Including human review in the process and as decision-makers allows you to put AI agents to work, while catching errors in real time and maintaining trust with your audience. AI should support your strategy, not become it.