The Edge
February 9, 2026 • 5 min read
AI, Trust, and the Limits of Persuasion
Americans are using AI more than ever, yet remain deeply skeptical of its impact on their lives, work, and communities. During this year’s Super Bowl, technology companies attempted to close that gap with emotionally driven advertising designed to make AI feel familiar, safe, and human.
In a Washington Post analysis of these campaigns, the real question was not creative execution or media spend. It was whether reassurance can substitute for trust.
As AI becomes embedded in everyday decision-making, the brands that succeed will not be the ones that showcase the most advanced capabilities. They will be the ones that clearly define what humans still own in an AI-mediated world, agency, judgment, creativity, and choice.
“The next era of AI marketing will not be won by showing what machines can do, but by clarifying what humans still own.”
Read the full analysis in The Washington Post.
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