Published on: September 24, 2026
AI is delivering efficiency for brands, but new global research from Havas suggests that too few AI-enabled brand experiences are delivering the same value for consumers.
Across more than 21,000 evaluations of AI-enabled brand experiences, only 9% achieved the highest Valuable AI Experience Score.
Yet the reward for getting it right is significant: high-scoring AI experiences were associated with 4.4x higher engagement, 1.6x stronger Brand Desire, and 1.5x greater Growth potential than low-scoring experiences.
Havas calls the challenge the AI Efficiency Trap: when AI creates efficiency for the brand without creating enough value for the consumer. To help brands avoid it, Havas developed the Valuable AI Experience Score, a new measure for evaluating whether AI-enabled brand experiences are creating consumer value.
The warning signs are clear. Across the seven markets studied:
To understand what separates stronger AI-enabled experiences from weaker ones, Havas identified three qualities that consistently shape value:
Together, these qualities form the foundation of the Valuable AI Experience Score. The Score also accounts for experiences that feel misleading or manipulative, recognizing that AI can reduce value as well as create it. That gives brands a practical way to judge where AI should lead, where it should support, and where it should stay out.
“Efficiency is a legitimate goal,” said Mark Sinnock, Global Chief Strategy, Intelligence and Innovation Officer, Havas Creative Network. “But AI is not just an operational tool — it’s a creative medium. Business leaders ask what AI saves. Brand builders need to ask what it creates. The brands that win will be the ones that bring the same insight, care and craft to AI-
enabled experiences as they would to any other expression of their brand. The machine can scale anything. The question is whether what you’re scaling is worth it.”
The research reveals a clear pattern: AI performs best when it has a clear job to do – helping people understand, compare, decide, or get support.
AI-assisted education and support recorded the highest Valuable AI Experience Score at 56.7 out of 100, followed by AI-assisted product comparison (55.4), and AI brand presence in chat tools (54.9).
At the other end of the scale, AI-generated influencer content scored lowest at 45.9, followed by brand advertising (48.4), and shoppable formats (49.6).
In short, AI creates more value when it helps people do something than when it simply adds more branded content.
The role of AI also differs significantly by sector. Automotive recorded the highest Valuable AI Experience Score, as AI can play a clear role helping people compare options and navigate complex decisions. Healthcare OTC scored the lowest, where trust and accuracy are nonnegotiable.
“Most brands have an AI roadmap. Far fewer have mapped where it can add real value,” said David Shulman, Global CEO, Havas CX. “When AI is aimed too broadly, it can actually weaken the moments that build customer trust and preference. The brands that win will not be the ones using the most AI. They will be the ones focusing it where it matters most to customers to drive desirable experiences.”
The report gives marketers a practical framework to integrate their own AI strategy and plan around consumer value, not just operational efficiency. It explores findings across sectors, markets, and touchpoints, helping brands judge where AI should lead, where it should support and where human expertise remains most valuable.
The full report, Avoiding the AI Efficiency Trap: Setting a New Standard for How Brands Create Valuable AI Experiences, is available at HavasValuableAI.com
The findings are based on a global study spanning seven markets, five sectors and more than 21,000 individual consumer evaluations of AI-enabled brand experiences.
