About a year ago, I spoke to Luc Dammann, President EMEA at Adobe, about some new research that Adobe had just published. The research found that consumers expect even better experiences from brands when economic conditions become more challenging.

Now, if you think about it, that makes complete sense. When their budgets are under pressure, consumers become even more discerning about where and with whom they spend their money.

However, according to the research, consumers didn’t just want lower prices and better experiences. The research also found that while consumers want brands to deliver those things they also wanted them to do so both responsibly and sustainably.

That piece came out out almost a year ago.

So, last week, in the run-up to Adobe Summit, which is currently taking place in Las Vegas, I caught up with Dammann again to see what had changed over the last year and to ask him how brands were getting on with their experience-led growth initiatives and delivering personalisation at scale.

He told me, “We remain in a context where brands are struggling with the fact that they have consumers who, no matter what, are digital-first, but also that the macro environment remains extremely uncertain.” He went on to say, “With the rise of technology and generative AI, in particular, consumers remain extremely sensitive to how brands are going to use the tech responsibly. These are the issues that are top of mind for all of the customers we are talking to at the moment.”

Newly released research from Adobe suggests that, whilst consumers still have concerns about the responsible use of technology, the big thing that has changed over the last year is that the general public has embraced generative AI and is increasingly using it as a tool in their everyday lives.

According to Adobe’s recently released Age of Generative AI research, which surveyed 2,000 UK consumers over the course of February and March of this year, nearly three-quarters (73%) of UK consumers report that they have used generative AI in their personal lives.

These figures suggest that, beyond the headlines and the hype, generative AI has captured the interest of the general public.

But, digging into the research, what’s really interesting is how those surveyed consumers think that generative AI will also impact customer experience.

Here’s a summary of the relevant findings:

• 55% of retail shoppers say generative AI has already improved their online shopping experience,
• 49% of consumers said they would be more inclined to purchase from brands that use generative AI on their websites,
• 66% think that generative AI will deliver faster or better customer service,
• 44% believe that it will make products and services cheaper,
• 41% believe that generative AI will allow brands to deliver more personalised interactions based on their preferences, and
• 35% believe that it will help create more exciting and creative experiences.

What’s fascinating about these findings is that they clearly show that consumers understand the power and potential that generative AI offers and are adjusting their service and experience expectations as a result.

The message to brands is clear: Harness the power and potential of generative AI to enhance both your service and your experience.

Failure to do so could put the relationships that you have with your customers in jeopardy.

This post was originally published on Forbes.com.

Credit: Photo by Julian Rivera on Unsplash