The Trust Crisis: How AI is Rewriting Credibility on the Internet

During a recent Rose Agency sprint, our team mused and meandered through a conversation about AI — not just its rapid development, but its side effects. One idea quickly rose to the surface: if AI can generate text, images, and videos so convincingly that we can no longer distinguish what’s real, what happens to trust on the internet?

Disclaimer: this article was generated through a conversation amongst the Rose Agency team, the transcription from which was processed through AI to create a synopsis that was carefully structured and edited by a human hand… our preferred method, for now.

It’s a simple question with far-reaching implications.
Because while AI promises incredible efficiency, it also blurs the signals we’ve long relied on to decide what’s authentic.

When Everything Can Be Faked

We’re entering a peak content era where AI-generated visuals, reviews, testimonials, and even influencers are indistinguishable from the real thing. “Once visual creators are so good you can’t tell what’s AI anymore,” said Colin, “people will reach a point of general mistrust with anything they see online.”

The internet, already crowded with conflicting information, could soon reach a kind of “fever pitch” of disbelief — a point where audiences simply tune out.

And paradoxically, that might not be a bad thing.
In the same way that oversaturation led to the rise of “digital detox” culture, the next phase might see people reclaiming discernment — seeking smaller, more human, and more verifiable sources of truth.

The Return of the Human Voice

As Megan, Marketing Technologist, noted, “there’s going to be a return of the scrappy, indie, zine-type content — but online.”

When trust in institutions erodes, it doesn’t disappear; it migrates. The internet’s next wave may favour authenticity over authority — creators and brands that can prove their humanity and consistency over time.

But even that comes with irony: AI can fabricate authenticity too. You could create an entire “human” creative collective — with fake names, fake photos, and AI-generated social posts — and no one would know unless they met you in person.

So, if both deception and authenticity can be automated, what actually anchors trust?

Proof of Work (and Presence)

In traditional journalism and academia, credibility came from citations, authorship, and peer review. Online, credibility often comes from consistency, transparency, and presence.

That’s something brands still have going for them.
Unlike anonymous accounts or generative bots, brands must maintain traceable accountability — offices, employees, client relationships, legal obligations. When information everywhere feels unstable, that stability itself becomes a competitive advantage.

As Colin put it, “Brands are going to have to demonstrate and maintain their accuracy very carefully — to keep that trusted level. They don’t have to have all the answers, but they have to show where their answers come from.”

The New Metrics of Belief

Trust online has always been performative — likes, follows, and verification badges gave the illusion of credibility. But in a post-AI landscape, those signals may lose their value. What replaces them?

We might see the rise of proof-based design: websites and content that visually demonstrate source integrity, authorship, and traceable work.

From verified metadata and blockchain certification to digital “authorship passports,” the web will adapt to help audiences distinguish what’s made by humans from what’s made for them by machines.

At the same time, audiences themselves will mature — becoming more skeptical, more selective, and perhaps more loyal to sources that consistently deliver grounded truth over algorithmic noise.

The Paradox of Politeness

Somewhere in the conversation, our team digressed into an oddly philosophical detour: what if, one day, calling an AI assistant a rude name becomes socially unacceptable?
After all, if machines are trained on human language and behaviour, our tone toward them might eventually shape theirs toward us.

We laughed, but there’s something deeply revealing in that moment.
It underscores how intertwined trust and relationship have become — not just between humans, but between humans and their technologies.

What This Means for Brands

For organizations, this isn’t a call to retreat from technology — it’s a call to build digital spaces where trust can live.
That means:

• Transparency — showing how information is sourced or created.
• Traceability — linking content to real people and verifiable origins.
• Consistency — maintaining tone, quality, and factual integrity across all channels.
• Human presence — appearing in real conversations, not just campaigns.
  

As AI begins to mediate more of our online interactions, the most valuable thing a brand can offer isn’t just information — it’s credibility.

The Trust Renaissance

The next evolution of the internet might not be a technological revolution at all — but a cultural one.
We may see a new kind of “trust renaissance,” where verification, honesty, and authorship matter again.

In that world, the brands that thrive won’t necessarily be the biggest or loudest — they’ll be the ones that remain real.

By Colin Rose, President & Creative Director, Rose Agency
With insights from Megan Rose, Diego Lara Carvajal, and Katherine Prieto