Hub study finds growing comfort with AI tools, but disclosure remains key for viewers

A new study from Hub Entertainment Research has found that consumers are becoming more familiar with artificial intelligence and increasingly open to its use in entertainment, particularly when it enhances the user experience rather than replaces creative work.

According to Hub’s “AI and Audiences” study, conducted in November 2025 with 2,500 U.S. respondents ages 16 to 74, 72 percent of participants said they felt at least somewhat familiar with generative AI, while 73 percent reported having used AI tools. This represents a notable increase from 57 percent the previous year.

Nearly half of respondents, 49 percent, said they believe generative AI will be beneficial to society. That figure is more than twice the number who view AI negatively and up from 44 percent the year prior.

However, consumer attitudes varied significantly depending on how AI is used in content creation. The strongest interest was in applications that help users navigate entertainment, such as recommendation engines and interactive tools. By contrast, participants expressed concern over AI-generated actors and performances, particularly when the distinction between real and artificial content is unclear.

Seventy-two percent of respondents said companies should always disclose if AI was used in content creation. An additional 21 percent supported disclosure when AI played a significant role. Only 7 percent believed no disclosure was necessary.

Consumers were also more comfortable with individuals using AI for personal projects than with influencers or companies using it for profit. Forty percent of respondents said they were completely comfortable with personal use, about twice as many as those who said the same about commercial use.

One area of notable consumer interest involved AI applications that allow users to create original stories or videos using existing intellectual property. When asked about the potential to generate content with Disney characters, 44 percent of AI-familiar respondents said they would be very likely or definitely interested in using such a feature. Another 24 percent said they might try it.

The survey was conducted roughly two weeks before Disney and OpenAI announced a partnership to enable consumer-generated storytelling using Disney-owned content.

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“Consumers have shifted significantly since last year when it comes to familiarity, usage, and optimism for AI,” said Jon Giegengack, principal at Hub and one of the study’s authors. “The positive reaction to user-generated content using Disney IP reveals maybe the biggest opportunity: enabling media companies to turn audiences into participatory communities.”