The AI boom was inevitable, but the backlash over its use in digital marketing was just as fierce. Brands racing to leverage artificial intelligence for content creation, customer service, and design often find themselves dodging criticism from consumers, creators, and their own communities. And it’s not just fringe concerns.
Top-tier game developers, global media outlets, and even fashion brands are getting dragged for replacing human effort with machine output. In many cases, it’s not the use of AI that’s the problem; it’s how it’s done. Tone-deaf rollouts, poor transparency, and disregard for creators’ rights amplify backlash.
And PR professionals are on the front lines, tasked with defending innovation while managing outrage. Let’s explore how major brands have stumbled, adapted, and what you can learn from them to guide your clients or company through the AI backlash era.
When Innovation Sparks Outrage
One of the earliest and loudest waves of backlash came from the gaming community. When AI tools were trained on artists’ work without consent, fans and creators alike revolted. Game studio Nekki faced intense criticism after using AI art in its Shadow Fight series. Players accused the studio of undercutting human artists while profiting from their style. Instead of denying the claims or doubling down, Nekki paused further AI deployments and committed to new transparency standards.
In the journalism world, Gannett, which owns USA Today, experimented with AI-written articles. But after publishing error-riddled, awkward sports recaps, it quickly became a PR disaster. The company was forced to pause the initiative after public ridicule and union pressure. The error wasn’t the technology itself but its blind implementation without editorial oversight.
On the fashion front, Levi’s faced heat in 2023, after announcing plans to test AI-generated models to ‘increase diversity’. Critics pointed out the irony of using fake people instead of hiring human, diverse models. Levi’s clarified the AI test wouldn’t replace real models, but the damage was done—a clear sign of poor messaging wrapped in a misaligned value proposition.
These examples underscore one thing: AI isn’t the villain, but careless implementation is. People KNOW you can use AI for essays, copy and any sort of written content; however, what they don’t want to see it being an excuse for laziness. So, what are you going to do when grilled about “stealing work,” “aiding data center pollution,” and “regurgitating AI slop?”
Managing the Narrative in Real-Time
In a crisis, the clock moves fast. When AI-triggered backlash hits, timing and tone matter. Some brands have learned to course-correct mid-flight.
Take Valve, which runs the Steam game marketplace. When developers began submitting AI-generated games, Valve initially blocked them, citing copyright concerns. The company then updated its policies to clarify what types of AI content are acceptable and what disclosures are needed. Rather than appearing anti-AI, Valve positioned itself as a steward of ethical implementation. That clarity helped rebuild goodwill with developers and gamers.
Another example: BuzzFeed. When it launched AI-generated quizzes and travel guides, readers were wary, especially after mass layoffs of writers. BuzzFeed leaned into the transparency angle, labeling AI content clearly and positioning it as experimental. They coupled this with human-led editorial content to soften the optics. While not all criticism vanished, the company avoided a full-blown reputation meltdown.
The takeaway? Brands that acknowledge concerns, explain their intent and iterate publicly are more likely to retain trust and succeed in transforming their public relations game. PR teams must be empowered to respond in human terms, not corporate jargon, and show a willingness to evolve rather than defend every decision.
Trust Is Built on Consent and Credit
Consumers don’t care if you use AI for cloud automations and your team works more efficiently, but they often think differently when it comes to using AI to replace artists. More specifically, much of the backlash stems from how these tools are trained.
Artists are outraged when their work is scraped without permission. Journalists push back when their reporting is co-opted into language models. And audiences respond negatively when they feel creators are being erased.
PR professionals must understand this ethical terrain. It’s not enough to claim, “Everyone is using AI.” Instead, transparency and consent must be at the core of any communication strategy. Brands like Runway ML and Stability AI have started creating opt-out databases and transparency portals.
Credit also matters. If your AI content is trained on real people’s work, consider acknowledgments or even compensation. In doing so, you’re not just preventing lawsuits; you’re using AI ethically and affirming that human creativity still holds value. It signals that AI is a collaborator, not a usurper.
Reputation-wise, this posture makes all the difference. It reframes the narrative from “we’re replacing people” to “we’re building with people.” For PR teams, this opens the door to more positive storytelling and defensible press angles.
Best Practices for PR Pros Navigating the AI Minefield
When the backlash hits, PR isn’t just damage control. It becomes the nerve center for the brand’s response strategy. Here’s how smart communicators can get ahead of the narrative and guide companies through AI controversies.
- Advocate for involvement before rollout. PR teams should be looped in about the ethical risks early when AI initiatives are being discussed. Messaging should be stress-tested through a cultural lens, not just a product one. Ask: How will this feel to our most loyal users? Is the brand tone still human? What’s the story we want to tell and the story people might hear?
- Preempt confusion with clear labels. If AI is used, say so. Transparency goes a long way in neutralizing suspicion. This includes tagging AI-generated content, outlining what AI contributed versus what a human created, and being clear about why AI was used at all.
- Empower spokespeople to speak plainly because, at the end of the day, jargon-filled statements only deepen mistrust. Train spokespeople to acknowledge uncertainty, highlight what’s being done to improve, and reiterate commitment to creators and audiences alike.
Likewise, be ready to walk it back. If something lands wrong, don’t dig in. Apologize quickly and honestly, outline next steps, and show that you’re listening. PR is about agility. Flexing that agility in high-stakes AI debates earns long-term credibility.
Conclusion
The backlash to AI isn’t a passing phase—it’s a new norm. As the technology evolves, so too will public expectations around how it’s deployed, credited, and communicated. PR professionals are no longer just storytellers; they’re trust architects.
That means anticipating cultural concerns, respecting creative labor, and helping brands speak with nuance and humility. The brands that thrive in this new landscape won’t be the ones that dodge criticism but the ones that face it head-on, evolve publicly, and bring audiences with them. In the AI era, reputation won’t hinge on whether you use AI, but on how you use it.
