AI-washing layoffs, the trust threshold, and marketing's human literacy problem

Layoffs are being framed as "AI efficiency" even when AI isn't replacing the work - companies using AI language to justify cost cuts, employees growing skeptical (NYT)

57% of consumers trust brands more when they use AI - but trust drops quickly when AI feels deceptive or replaces human support entirely (MarTech)

Luxury brands double down on emotional value as AI catches on - using AI behind the scenes while emphasizing craft and human storytelling in consumer-facing work (Glossy)

Marketing is starting to sound like people fluent in algorithms and illiterate in humans - brands obsessed with algorithmic optimization are ignoring human complexity, empathy, and storytelling (Mira Kaddoura)

Adobe–Semrush partnership deepens AI ties - tighter integration between content creation, SEO data, and AI-driven optimization inside enterprise stacks (Yahoo Finance)

SXSW 2026 is almost here (Mar 12-18, Austin) - 40th anniversary brings dedicated AI + Marketing track, CMO panels from SoFi, Lyft, Samsung. Also: NVIDIA GTC, HumanX, Adobe Summit