WordPress VIP (Automattic’s enterprise WordPress) has released the Future of the Web 2026 report, based on a survey of 2,000 respondents (including 800 business decision-makers/CMOs and 1,200 U.S. adults) conducted in April this year. Key findings include: 60% of consumers say they are turned off by brands that highlight the term „AI“ in their messaging; 86% of respondents say they don’t fully trust AI answers and still want to consult original sources; 42% of consumers trust AI-generated answers without clear attribution even less than they trust airline surcharges, obscure privacy policies, and medical bills; 74% of respondents feel the internet is less human than it was 10 years ago; 33% of consumers rank „click to view the original source“ as the top trust signal; and 80% of respondents believe web information should remain openly accessible rather than controlled by a small number of large institutions.
In contrast to consumer wariness, companies are rapidly expanding their AI search investments: 60% of business respondents say traffic from AI search engines and answer platforms has increased over the past year, and 74% of business decision-makers rank AI discoverability and attribution as a major or important priority. WordPress VIP CTO Brian Alvey notes that content must now be built for two audiences simultaneously — maintaining machine readability for AI agents acting on behalf of users, and maintaining credible human appeal for the small fraction of users who actually click through; both are essential. Overall, the report reveals the dual pressure facing brand communications today: staying visible in AI search while avoiding the loss of consumer trust through over-hyping AI.