Written by Sophie Babic

As AI‑generated content floods feeds, audiences are becoming more sceptical of what they see online. This has had a direct impact on the creator economy – with influencer marketing undergoing a complete reset.  

Trust is no longer a byproduct of effective marketing, it is the strategy. 

IMPACT’s Influencer Pulse Check 2026 surveyed 85 Australian creators, uncovering how AI, algorithms, authenticity and shifting audience expectations are fundamentally reshaping influence. 

To bring these insights and findings to life, IMPACT hosted an exclusive panel discussion moderated by Trish McGee, our Group Account Director, exploring how trust is being built, tested and eroded in real time online. 

Our panel featured the brilliant Milly Bannister, creator and Founder of ALLKND, Katherine Ngo, Founder of SOL MGMT and Toni Westlake, Head of Brand & Marketing at Big Red Group. 

Together, these experts discussed our findings and outlined their predictions on influencer marketing for the year ahead: in an era of hyper‑polished content and ‘AI slop’, believability now beats polish. 

Here’s what our panel had to say. 

What kind of content earns trust fastest? 

“We’ve moved from the information age to the attention economy, and now trust is the commodity,” Milly said. 

As AI and hyper‑polished content becomes more common, audiences are gravitating toward the opposite – real, authentic perspectives. “Believability matters more than polish. What earns trust now is content that doesn’t feel generic, content that’s human‑led and could only be posted by that person,” Milly explained.  

So what does authenticity look like in 2026? 

According to Milly, authentic content isn’t designed to please everyone. It leaves room for disagreement. It reflects a clear point of view. It feels specific, not interchangeable. 

Creators who build trust fastest are willing to share real opinions, not just brand‑safe messages. Their content is grounded in lived experience, rather than ideas that feel templated or reverse‑engineered for performance. 

Milly summed up personal brand simply: “Credibility plus humanity.” Without both, audiences struggle to connect. 

What role is AI playing and where are creators drawing the line? 

According to the panel, AI is widely used behind the scenes, but not as a substitute for human judgement. 

“I’m part of the group that uses AI for content ideas,” Milly said, particularly for synthesising research and spotting angles.  

“My line is drawn when what I’m posting has no level of human judgement,  when it could technically be posted by anyone.” 

For Milly, AI can accelerate process, but craft and lived experience still define the final output. 

What should companies stop doing if trust is the goal? 

According to Kat; “stop over‑engineering the brief.” Creators do their best work when brands clearly define objectives then step back. “When the mandatory becomes ‘show the packaging in the first three seconds’, it immediately deters the audience,” she said. 

Creators know how to integrate products naturally because they speak to their communities daily. Over‑directing tone, structure or storytelling often results in content that looks overly advertorial. 

“Trust them. Give them the tools, workshop the brief together, and let them figure out the how” Kat said. 

From the brand side, Toni said loss of trust shows up in performance. 

“When content feels manufactured, people switch off. If audiences can’t see themselves in it, it doesn’t work,” she said. 

For Toni, the mistake brands make is prioritising control and efficiency over relatability. Trust is built when real people are given the space to tell real stories, rather than being guided too tightly by internal rules. 

What undermines trust fastest in creator content? 

“When the product shows up before the opinion,” said Milly 

Audiences can tell when a creator hasn’t genuinely used something or when a partnership has been retrofitted into their life. Trust is built when a product is already part of a creator’s world, not introduced at the last minute to meet a campaign deadline. 

What are the non‑negotiables for brands using AI in campaigns? 

According to Toni: “Nothing that touches the customer should be AI‑led.” 

From Toni’s perspective, AI can support planning, storyboarding and internal workflows — but the final output must remain human. 

“We can use AI to help us think, plan and optimise,” she said. “But what the customer sees, whether that’s content, copy or talent, should be real.” 

How can brands evaluate creator content for believability? 

“Ask one key question, could this only be posted by this person?” Millie said. 

If the answer is no, trust is likely being compromised. If yes, the content is doing its job. 

In 2026, trust isn’t built through polish, volume or speed. It’s built through restraint, perspective and humanity. 

Or, as the panel put it – believability beats polish, every time. 

To download a copy of Behind the Influence: IMPACT’s Influencer Pulse Check 2026 report visit: https://impactagency.com.au/influencer-pulse-check-2026/