Social Rocket
35 percent of surveyed US consumers rely less on influencers when researching before a purchase because of the growing spread of AI content. At the same time, many companies want to keep expanding their creator budgets. The figures from a Gartner survey from 22 September 2026 and German industry data show one thing above all: for brands, what will matter is not the volume of creator content, but its demonstrable benefit.
Distrust of AI content is not the end of influencer marketing
Gartner surveyed a total of 2026 people in the USA in May and June 1.006. 35 percent said they rely less on influencer recommendations because of AI-generated content. 43 percent say that, for the same reason, they rely more heavily on "real people" when making purchase decisions. 65 percent think brands produce too much AI content; 57 percent report declining trust in brand messaging.
These answers describe self-assessments from a US sample, not measured revenue losses, not a decline in follower numbers, and not a representative statement about German consumers. They also do not show that every use of AI in creator marketing is harmful. AI for editing, research or subtitles is to be assessed differently than artificially generated testimonials without any recognizable basis in experience.
The current industry analysis by Marketing Dive from 28 October describes the debate about "influencer fatigue". The economically more important finding, however, lies in the contrast between advertisers' investment plans and the trust signals from their target audiences.
German industry increases budgets despite pressure on impact and costs
In the "State of German Influencer Marketing 2026" by MAI xpose360, 520 people from brand companies, agencies, and creator and management backgrounds were surveyed. 60 percent plan higher investments, while 85 percent perceive economic pressure. The evaluation names limited budgets (80 percent), a lack of fit between creator and brand (70 percent) and missing measurability and optimization (55 percent) as hurdles.
The 520 responses are not a German consumer survey. For that reason, the German budget figures cannot be combined with the US trust percentages into a shared market trend. Rather, they show two separate sides of the problem: marketing departments are buying more creator services, while credibility and proof of impact are becoming more demanding.
For comparison: the already evaluated ANA study on influencer measurement and contract costs focuses on which services companies can actually purchase and verify.
Three checkpoints for future creator campaigns
A sensible creator brief should record professional or personal experience, how AI-generated elements are handled, and the labeling of advertising partnerships. Not every high-reach account fits the category: community questions, comments about the product and the share of returning viewers can be more meaningful than a single follower count.
An agreed measurement logic in advance is just as important. Reach, views and engagement capture attention; tracking links, discount codes and shop data show attributable actions. However, additional sales cannot be proven from these alone. Where the budget allows, control groups, regional comparison tests or carefully planned holdouts help. Why even engagement benchmarks are not readily comparable also depends on platform, format and calculation method.
Finally, usage rights, paid amplification and the reuse of creatives must be factored into the budget. A longer-term collaboration can be more useful than a series of identical one-off posts, provided it genuinely fits the target audience. The Kantar figures on uncertainty in the media mix illustrate why a single creator KPI should not serve as proof of overall success.
For German social media teams, this does not mean a blanket withdrawal from influencer marketing. Rather, every additional euro needs a clear goal: credible recommendations, measurable brand impact, or a measurable customer action.