Turning from AI only to humans only. How to make a difference in the AI universe.
As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in marketing, a new brand positioning strategy is emerging. More companies are actively highlighting the absence of AI in their products, campaigns, and creative processes. Whether they use terms such as real, analog, craft, human, or no AI, the underlying message is the same: there is a human behind this work.
Brands like Aerie and Polaroid have embraced this approach. Aerie expanded its long-standing commitment to unretouched imagery with the promise: “No retouching. No AI. 100% Aerie Real.” Polaroid has taken an even more outspoken stance, framing analog photography as an antidote to digital overload, AI fatigue, and endless screen time. Through campaigns that celebrate real experiences over algorithmic creations, the company positions human-made memories as a premium alternative in an increasingly synthetic world.
Timing
The timing is hardly coincidental. Consumer sentiment toward AI-generated content is shifting. While people continue to adopt AI tools in their daily lives, growing numbers are expressing a preference for content created by real people. Research consistently shows that authenticity, human connection, and transparency remain highly valued. Consumers are not necessarily rejecting technology, but they are becoming more skeptical of content that feels artificial, manipulated, or misleading.
This creates an interesting opportunity for brands. In a marketplace flooded with AI-generated text, images, and videos, human creativity becomes a scarce resource. Scarcity, in turn, creates value. A “made by humans” label can therefore function as a quality signal, much like organic, local, or handcrafted labels have done in other industries.
However, this trend also introduces a new challenge: humanwashing.
The concept of Humanwashing
The concept of humanwashing refers to presenting technology, processes, or content as more human than they actually are. Originally used to describe AI systems that appear more intelligent, empathetic, or autonomous than they truly are, the term is now expanding into marketing. Brands may emphasize craftsmanship, authenticity, or human involvement while relying heavily on AI behind the scenes.
The danger is that consumers may receive a very different impression from reality. Just as greenwashing emerged when sustainability became commercially valuable, humanwashing risks emerging as humanity itself becomes a marketable asset.
Several recent examples illustrate this tension. Vans faced criticism after publishing nostalgic imagery that appeared to be authentic photography from the brand’s heritage, only for observers to discover that the visuals had been generated with AI. The issue was not the use of AI itself, but the fact that the content mimicked the look and feel of genuine human-created nostalgia without clear disclosure.
AI campaigns
Even AI companies are embracing human-centered branding. For its first major consumer campaign, OpenAI deliberately avoided futuristic AI aesthetics and instead focused on real actors, everyday activities, and cinematic storytelling. The campaign highlighted cooking, sports, travel, and ordinary human moments, placing technology firmly in the background. More recently, critics have argued that OpenAI’s merchandise and lifestyle branding similarly emphasize craftsmanship, patience, and tangible experiences, values that people increasingly associate with authentic human creativity.
Perhaps the most extreme example came from Research Gold, a company that prominently claimed its work was “100% human-written, never AI.” Investigations later suggested that AI-generated profile photos, questionable expert identities, and AI-based customer interactions were central to the business. The gap between promise and reality turned the company’s human-first positioning into a case study in humanwashing.
Lesson for marketeers
For marketers, the lesson is clear. Human creativity is becoming a differentiator in an AI-driven world. Consumers appear willing to reward authenticity, transparency, and genuine human involvement. At the same time, brands must be careful not to overstate or romanticize their human contribution.
If a company claims content is human-made, customers will increasingly expect proof. Where exactly did people add value? What role did AI play? How were creative decisions made?
The brands most likely to succeed will not be those that simply market themselves as human. They will be the ones that can credibly demonstrate it. As artificial content becomes abundant, authenticity becomes more valuable. But as soon as authenticity turns into a marketing claim, it must be backed by reality. Otherwise, “made by humans” could follow the same path as many sustainability labels before it: a powerful promise that loses meaning through overuse and misuse.
That is why we at Weworkworldwide always put human input for content central and only use AI to support and not the other way around.
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