AI slop — low-quality, mass produced automated content — is one of the greatest threats to brand trust, according to a report from B2C CRM, Klaviyo.
In APAC specifically, more than half (51%) of consumers now frequently spot low-quality AI driven content in their social media feeds and replies — breeding a high bar for quality and a low tolerance for lazy automation.
30% of the APAC population now uses AI several times a week — outpacing the US (26%) and Europe (27%) — which has resulted in the world’s most skeptical audience. Currently, only 5% of shoppers in the region report fully trusting AI-generated brand content, which is significantly lower than their counterparts in the US (12%) and Europe (16%).
This has created an identity crisis for brands, with the majority of those shoppers (63%) having previously mistaken human-written content for AI.
The research lands in APAC just as Singapore’s 2026 budget places AI front and centre, committing over S$1 billion to AI infrastructure, talent and adoption through to 2030 alongside a new National AI Council to provide strategic direction.
As public concern regarding deepfakes and content farms reaches fever pitch, the national investments highlight an urgent tug-of-war between rapid AI adoption and the need for human-centric oversight to maintain consumer trust.
Despite this growing skepticism, AI usage remains at an all time high in the purchase process. According to Klaviyo’s report, 78% of shoppers in APAC have already used AI to compare brands or get product recommendations, particularly in the electronics sector (66%), with men 35% more likely than women to have purchased a product recommended by an AI tool.
Marcus Rossato, head of marketing APJ at Klaviyo, said: “The honeymoon phase with AI is officially over for shoppers across Asia Pacific. Although consumers in the region lead the world in AI adoption, they have one of the highest bars for authenticity.
“For younger audiences and daily users, generic AI content isn’t just ineffective — it actively damages brand equity.
“What our data shows is that brands must move beyond using AI for mere efficiency and toward using it for emotion. The opportunity for brands in 2026 is not to scale content faster, but to scale usefulness. In a world of automated noise, the brands that maintain a human connection will be the ones that survive the slop era.”
