The value of ‘human touch’ that stands out in the AI era

In an era when AI rapidly and precisely produces content in massive quantities, human touches such as handwritten notes and rough, imperfect traces are instead drawing attention as a new differentiating factor. Restaurants, cafés, bakeries, and other businesses in the United States and the United Kingdom are emphasizing authenticity by using handwritten notices and real photos taken on site instead of AIgenerated advertisements. In Korea as well, especially among younger consumers, unpolished handwritten menus and handcrafted elements are being embraced as part of the mood, and some brands are even using the fact that they did not use AI as the core message of their campaigns. Consumer surveys and related studies have confirmed fatigue with AI advertising and perceptions of declining authenticity. In particular, the more people felt that AI was heavily used in advertisements, the lower their trust and purchase intention tended to be, and analyses found that highlighting the fact that people were involved in the actual production process helps reduce resistance.