Evangelicals, non-denominational Christians and other people who discover with no religion are the leading religious groups amongst nearly all of Americans who oppose the rapid increase within the variety of artificial intelligence-generated videos on social media, in response to findings from a recent study that has surprised researchers.
The study, “Americans’ Views on AI-Generated Video in Social Media,” was published on Wednesday by independent production and distribution company Story Radius. It is predicated on a survey of 512 U.S. adults using SurveyMonkey’s proprietary Audience Panel, which pulls from a big, diverse population of respondents who’ve double-opted in to take part in research studies in exchange for incentives. The survey was conducted between Nov. 24 and Dec. 9.
Many respondents said the rise in AI-generated videos on social media actively undermines trust, emotional engagement and their desire to remain on major platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
“These findings suggest we’re facing a trust gap, not only a technology gap,” Brad Cooper, founder and CEO of Story Radius, said in a news release. “AI video could also be improving technically, but emotionally and experientially, most audiences are telling us it’s not there yet — and in lots of cases, it’s actively turning them off.”
More than eight in 10 respondents within the study said AI-generated videos pull them out of the story at the least sometimes, including nearly half who said this happens fairly often or almost all the time. Nearly 50% also warned that if most videos of their feeds were found to be AI-generated, they’d use social media less — or stop using it altogether.
“Companies like Meta, Alphabet, ByteDance, and xAI should take note: Respondents indicate that a big increase in AI-generated videos could negatively affect their use of social media platforms akin to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube,” researchers warned within the report.
Researchers found that 58% of Evangelical and non-denominational Christians surveyed reported being detractors of the AI videos, followed by 57% of Protestants and 52% of respondents who identified with no religion.
“It was somewhat of a surprise that these diverse groups, normally at odds on social issues, all appeared to be in lockstep of their opposition to a future with AI-generated video content,” the report said.
“In open-ended responses, respondents most frequently express unease about authenticity, emotional manipulation, and the lack of human creativity. Rather than specializing in technical quality, many describe how AI-generated video feels to look at and the way it affects trust and immersion,” it added.
“Even when videos appear visually impressive, respondents continuously describe an uncanny quality that pulls them out of the story. Many say this response is immediate and emotional, not analytical, and that it makes sustained engagement difficult.”
By comparison, 15% of respondents from other religions, 35% of Orthodox Christians and 40% of Catholics reported being detractors of the AI videos.
The report stated that there is powerful support for using AI as a supporting tool, but not as a substitute for human creativity.
“Respondents commonly distinguish between AI as a supporting tool and AI as a substitute for human creativity. Limited uses — akin to background visuals or technical assistance — are sometimes considered acceptable, whereas AI-generated acting, writing, or emotional storytelling is widely rejected,” the report said.
“What’s striking is that this isn’t just resistance from older audiences or technophobes,” Cooper added. “Skepticism cuts across generations, including Gen Z, and even lots of essentially the most accepting viewers say AI video still breaks their connection to the story.”
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