How to successfully adopt AI capabilities

Editor’s note: Elizabeth Jackson is the chief marketing officer at Collage.

In an era where every impression counts and consumer expectations evolve in real time, building brand authenticity is no longer optional – it’s foundational. Marketing and insights executives tasked with growing relevance across diverse consumer segments face a critical challenge: leveraging the scale and speed of AI without losing the soul of the brand. The solution lies in fusing AI capabilities with rich, segment-specific cultural insights to unlock cultural fluency.

What does authenticity mean?

Authenticity in branding is not simply about values – it’s about connection. Consumers, especially younger generations, demand messaging that reflects their lived experiences with honesty, respect and depth. Authentic brands don’t speak to people – they speak with them, using shared cultural codes to build trust and emotional resonance.

This is where cultural insights come in. They surface the nuanced motivations, preferences and lived realities of multicultural America, enabling brands to move from broad generalizations to precise, meaningful engagement.

Cultural fluency is a strategic differentiator

Cultural fluency is the ability to understand and act on cultural differences in a way that drives brand growth. It transforms diversity from a compliance metric into a competitive advantage. Brands that are culturally fluent can adapt their messaging to resonate deeply with different segments, without losing consistency or coherence.

By leveraging cultural fluency, brands gain the ability to craft messages that feel custom-built for Black, Hispanic, Asian American, LGBTQ+, Gen Z or cross-generational audiences – each with their own values, motivations and behavioral norms.

Learning from Gen Z: The risks of inauthentic AI

Gen Z offers a clear cautionary tale. While 65% of Gen Z have used AI tools and apps, 46% actively dislike when brands use AI in marketing. This isn’t about rejecting technology – they’re savvy adopters – but rather about how it’s used.

Gen Z quickly identifies AI-generated content that feels "sloppy," “soulless” or “mass produced.” They view AI marketing without a human touch as stripped of the creativity and cultural awareness they crave. The perception of “AI slop” can lead to disengagement or even backlash if a brand appears to be using automation as a shortcut rather than a strategic enhancement.

This skepticism highlights a core truth: technology alone cannot create authenticity. It needs to be grounded in cultural nuance, guided by the real stories, values and voices of the people you're trying to reach.

The authenticity engine: Balancing AI and cultural insight

When AI is guided by culturally intelligent data, it becomes a powerful enabler of relevance at scale. It can help marketing teams quickly analyze sentiment, optimize messaging and personalize content but only if those inputs are culturally sound.

Embedding cultural insight into the creative life cycle

To avoid inauthenticity and maximize relevance, cultural insight must inform every step of the creative journey:

1. The creative briefing

It starts with asking the right questions: What values does this segment prioritize? How does this audience define family, success or humor? What are the cultural traits that are most important, least important and which passion points matter? A brief built on cultural truths leads to more relevant messaging and stronger creative outcomes.

2. Production planning

Casting, language, music, wardrobe, set design – every choice reflects a brand’s understanding of its audience. It is critical to avoid mere representation and stereotypes, and nuance matters. The most culturally fluent ads include specificity that resonates broadly which can only be achieved through depth of understanding cultural values and beliefs, norms and traditions, intergenerational interaction, food on the table and more. Cultural insight ensures that execution brings the strategy to life to deliver meaningful authenticity.

Segment-specific AI guardrails

The right balance between automation and authenticity looks different for every audience:

  • Gen Z wants AI that enhances human creativity. Think co-creation tools, user-generated content and influencer-led campaigns, not synthetic personas or boilerplate messaging.
  • Black and Hispanic consumers are future-focused but cautious. They want to see AI used in a way that uplifts human roles, not replaces them. Diverse, inclusive storytelling must remain central.
  • Asian American consumers are power users of AI and welcome innovation – if it’s smart, strategic and respectful. They expect brands to skip the AI 101 and show how it adds tangible value.