The AI Imperative vs. the Trust Gap & How Marketers Need to Adapt in 2026

The conversation around AI in marketing has been loud, fast, and relentless. But beneath the excitement lies a deeper shift; one that has less to do with automation and more to do with trust.

In a recent Game Changers CMO session, Victoria Albert, CMO of Infuse, shared data and perspective that point to a pivotal reality for B2B marketers: we are not in an AI revolution. We are in a trust recession.

As Victoria put it:

“Buyers are sitting and have access to an immense amount of information, and they do consume more information than ever. But unfortunately, our research is very clear that they trust less of it. So this is what we call the AI paradox.”

Welcome to the new marketing imperative.

The Dark Funnel Just Got Darker and Faster

For years, marketers have talked about the “dark funnel”, that invisible portion of the buyer journey where prospects research anonymously, consult peers, and evaluate vendors before ever filling out a form.

Last year, research showed that 70% of the buyer journey happened in the dark. This year, something more concerning emerged.

“That awareness phase is a lot shorter. It’s shorter by a whole month… the end result is that the buying journey is significantly shorter.”

Thirty days may not sound dramatic until you’re selling into a 3–6 month enterprise cycle. Now you have less time to influence more people, earlier in the process.

And while the cycle is shrinking, buying groups are expanding.

“The average buying group is now nine people. That’s about 12% growth from last year… We have more people to talk to in less time.”

More stakeholders. Less time. And more content being consumed than ever before.

Which leads to a critical question: If buyers are reading more, why are they trusting less?

Buyers Aren’t Reading to Learn. They’re Reading to Defend.

One of the most striking insights from the session wasn’t about AI at all, it was about psychology.

Victoria explained:

“Buyers are not reading content to learn… Buyers are reading that content to defend their position in front of their C-suite and boards. They need content that will not get them fired.”

This single statement reframes the entire role of B2B content marketing. Buyers are overwhelmed. They are accountable. They are anxious. And they are making high-stakes decisions in an environment evolving faster than ever.

They are not looking for more “top 10 trends” blog posts. They are looking for evidence.

Which is why Victoria introduced a mantra her team now operates by:

“Nothing leaves our ecosystem without evidence attached.”

This is the shift from content marketing to confidence marketing.

Brand Gets You Considered. Technical Fit Gets You Chosen.

Despite declining trust, brand still matters deeply.

When buyers create their “day one shortlist,” brand familiarity plays a central role. But brand alone is no longer enough.

“Brand will get you considered. But then it’s the technical fit that will get you chosen.”

Gone are the days of five discovery calls before discussing architecture. Buyers expect technical alignment from the first conversation.

They want to know:

• How does this integrate into my ecosystem?
• What proof do you have?
• How will this scale with me?
• What problems will you solve next year?

The modern buyer doesn’t want a pitch deck. They want a partner. They aren’t just evaluating what you can do today. They’re evaluating whether they trust you to innovate tomorrow.

And that trust gap is showing up in alarming ways.

Buyer Satisfaction Has Never Been Lower

Perhaps the most sobering data point shared during the session:

“Only a quarter of the market is sitting very satisfied with the vendors they have on their books.”

That’s not loyalty. That’s inertia. Victoria described it bluntly:

“You haven’t given me a reason to leave… But you haven’t given me a reason to stay either.”

In a market where switching costs are lower and competition is fueled by AI-enabled speed, complacency is dangerous.

Which leads to two clear mandates for 2026:

1. Delight your customers relentlessly.
2. Aggressively pursue competitors’ dissatisfied customers.

Because three-quarters of the market is open to change.

The Real Opportunity: Clarity Over Complexity

If this all sounds daunting, Victoria reframed it with optimism:

“Our buyers just really want their questions answered. So just answer their damn questions.”

The opportunity isn’t more AI-generated thought leadership. It’s:

• Rewriting your website to eliminate fluff.
• Leading with proof, not positioning.
• Participating in communities where buyers validate decisions.
• Showing innovation through delivery, not slides.
• Making it easy to understand what you do and why it matters.

Because buyers are still starting at vendor websites first. But what they do next reveals the trust gap:

“I’m gonna go to the vendor and I’m gonna pull down the information… And then immediately, I’m gonna turn around and I’m gonna talk to… other people I know.”

They verify. They validate. They triangulate. Trust is no longer granted. It is audited.

The CMOs Who Win in 2026

The marketers who will win in 2026 won’t be those producing the most content. They will be the ones who:

• Reduce buyer anxiety.
• Provide evidence early.
• Equip champions to sell internally.
• Shorten time-to-confidence, not just time-to-close.
• Treat customers as their primary growth channel.

Because the AI era isn’t about automation alone. It’s about credibility at scale. Or as Victoria framed it, this is about connecting “discoverability to revenue” in a world where visibility doesn’t equal trust .

The AI tools are powerful. The market is evolving. The buying group is growing. The timeline is shrinking. But the differentiator? Trust.

And in a trust recession, evidence is your most valuable asset.