Europe embraces AI but bristles at low‑quality content

Klaviyo has published new consumer research suggesting most Europeans now use artificial intelligence regularly, even as many report growing frustration with low-quality AI-generated material in everyday digital channels.

The survey segments European consumers into four groups based on their relationship with AI: Enthusiasts, Evaluators, Skeptics and Holdouts. Evaluators account for 40% of European respondents and Enthusiasts make up 30%, while Skeptics and Holdouts together represent the remaining 30%.

Klaviyo's findings place Europe among the most trusting regions for AI use, with reported trust levels 33% higher than in the US and three times higher than in Australia. The results suggest AI features could spread quickly, but consumer expectations are also rising.

Four Personas

Enthusiasts integrate AI into routine tasks and try new tools with little hesitation. Evaluators are open to AI but still deciding how much of it they want in their lives. Skeptics set limits and cross-check outputs, even as they recognise its practical value. Holdouts have largely opted out, citing concerns about risk, necessity or hype.

The persona data also shows differences by gender and age. Globally, 63% of Enthusiasts identify as men, while Skeptics and Holdouts skew female at 61% and 60% respectively. Younger consumers were more likely to fall into the Enthusiast and Evaluator groups.

Weekly Use

Regular AI use has moved into the mainstream in Europe, with 60% of respondents saying they use AI at least weekly. Overall, 70% of Europeans said they engage with AI regularly, signalling adoption beyond early adopters.

For some consumers, AI is becoming the first stop for information. Nearly a third (31%) said they turn to AI search engines first when they need to understand a complex topic. Research, decision-making and answering questions were the most useful AI functions for 58% of respondents, pointing to time-saving as a key motivation.

Many also reported moments that changed their perception of the technology. More than half (58%) said they had an AI "aha" moment in the past six months. Among them, 54% said AI explained something complex in a simple way; 38% said it found information they could not locate themselves; and 32% said it delivered a strong recommendation.

The research suggests AI prompts are becoming more conversational. Klaviyo found that 82% of Europeans include emotional or personal context in their queries. It also reported that 28% now use eight or more words in AI searches, indicating longer, more detailed requests than earlier keyword-style behaviour.

Shopping Impact

The survey suggests AI is also influencing commerce decisions. Nearly half of European respondents (46%) said they purchased a product recommended by AI in the past six months, adding to evidence that recommendation features and AI-assisted search can shape buying choices quickly.

Klaviyo also cited its platform data on traffic from AI-referred sources such as ChatGPT and Gemini, reporting a 1,936% year-on-year increase. It linked the rise to a broader shift in behaviour, particularly in product discovery and evaluation.

Electronics emerged as a leading category for AI-assisted shopping, with 70% of European consumers using AI for simplified technical comparisons. Travel planning also featured prominently, with 48% saying they used AI when booking travel or hotels. Restaurant discovery was another common use, with 42% seeking recommendations through AI tools.

Content Backlash

Alongside adoption, the research points to growing irritation with poor outputs. More than three quarters of European respondents said they noticed low-quality AI-generated content in the past six months, and nearly two in five (39%) said they see it weekly.

Respondents most commonly reported seeing this material on social media (42%), followed by adverts (30%). Because these channels are central to consumer discovery and brand marketing, repetitive, inaccurate or poorly targeted AI content can increase the risk of reputational damage.

Consumers also expressed varying confidence in spotting AI-written content. The survey found that 44% feel confident they can distinguish AI-generated content from human-created content. At the same time, 28% said they feel uncomfortable when AI provides inaccurate or misleading responses.

Brand messaging remains a sensitive area for personalisation. The research found that 21% of respondents are less likely to open poorly personalised brand messages, suggesting that personalisation that feels off can attract negative attention even when AI is otherwise seen as useful.

Jamie Domenici, Chief Marketing Officer at Klaviyo, said the findings show brands need to rethink customer experience and AI adoption.

"AI isn't just changing how brands operate, it's also reshaping how consumers discover and evaluate brands," said Jamie Domenici, CMO of Klaviyo. "What's new is that AI trust now influences strategy. Two audiences with similar demographics can respond very differently depending on how they feel about AI. Some expect deeply personalised, agent-driven experiences. Others see that same experience as intrusive or inauthentic. The opportunity isn't simply to adopt AI; brands must calibrate how they use it based on their customers' trust levels and expectations. Consumers want the brands they love to reinforce their trust in this technology instead of breaking that trust."

The survey was based on a 28-question questionnaire of 7,998 consumers across the US, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia and Singapore. Respondents were aged 18 and older.