Business & Technology
UK marketers plan to spend more on AI, Canva finds
Canva has published research showing that most UK marketing leaders plan to increase spending on AI. It also found that British consumers are more accepting of AI in advertising when it makes adverts more useful or relevant.
Based on a survey of marketing leaders and consumers across seven countries, the report points to a widening gap between the speed of AI adoption in marketing teams and the care brands must take to maintain consumer trust. In the UK sample, 92% of marketing leaders said they already use AI in everyday creative work, while 98% expect to increase their AI budgets.
That uptake reflects pressure on marketing departments to produce more content with limited resources. More than half of UK marketing leaders surveyed said AI now acts as a “director” within their teams, while 31% described it as a “collaborator”.
Many marketers also reported practical benefits. The findings show that 94% save at least four hours a week through AI use, while 28% save more than eight hours. Another 63% said AI had increased marketing-influenced business decisions.
Trust gap
Consumer sentiment was more mixed. While 71% of British consumers said they do not mind AI in adverts if the result is more helpful or relevant, many also said current AI-generated advertising lacks originality and emotional depth.
Seven in ten UK respondents said AI-generated adverts are missing their soul, while 64% said such adverts are so obvious they are laughable. The findings suggest consumers judge advertising less by how it is made than by whether it feels authentic.
That tension runs through the report. Although many consumers accepted a role for AI in making ads more relevant, 82% said they would still rather see adverts made by people, even if AI could improve them. Another 91% said the best advertising still requires a human touch, and 72% said they would be more likely to buy from an advert created entirely by humans.
There was also concern that the growing use of AI could make brand communications look increasingly alike. In the UK, 76% of consumers said the future of advertising will look and feel like the same AI-generated output. Among marketing leaders, 36% said so-called “AI slop” was already a considerable challenge.
Human role
The study found broad agreement that some parts of marketing remain difficult to automate. UK marketing leaders pointed to empathy and emotional intelligence, brand intuition and creative judgment, and the human imperfections that can make work feel original as areas AI cannot replace.
That view may explain why many executives do not see AI as removing the need for creative staff. Eighty per cent of UK marketing leaders said they expect creative roles to grow over the next five years, with greater emphasis on imagination, judgment and direction rather than routine execution.
Age also shaped consumer attitudes. Among Gen Z and Millennial respondents, 72% said they pay more attention to the vibe of an advert than the method used to create it. Three quarters said they do not mind AI polish as long as real people are featured.
Even so, personalisation remains a sensitive issue. Nearly a third of UK consumers said it becomes too personal when an advert seems to know what they are about to buy before they have searched for it. A larger 63% said they do not want brands using AI to predict what they want.
Calls for rules
The findings show strong demand for clearer rules on how AI is used in advertising. More than three quarters of British consumers said they would feel more comfortable with AI-generated adverts if formal company policies governed their use.
There was also a clear expectation that AI-made advertising will soon become harder to identify. The survey found that 86% of UK consumers believe it will one day be impossible to tell whether an advert was made with AI unless the brand discloses it. Most expect that point to arrive within a few years.
Consumers were also specific about what would improve trust. The most common answers were data protection, disclosure of AI use, guarantees that AI is not replacing jobs, and the ability to opt out of AI-generated adverts. A large majority also said they would like a form of privacy control that lets them decide how personal adverts should become.
Emma Robinson, Head of B2B Marketing at Canva, said the issue for brands is not whether AI belongs in marketing but how it is managed. “AI has changed how marketing gets made, but not what makes it effective. Speed and scale matter, but they don’t build trust on their own. The opportunity isn’t only producing more content. It’s building smarter systems where AI drives efficiency while brand governance and creative judgment protect what makes a brand distinctive,” Robinson said.
The survey covered 1,415 marketing leaders at organisations with more than 500 employees and 3,547 consumers across the UK, US, Australia, France, Germany, Japan and India. In the UK, the sample included 200 marketing leaders and 509 consumers.
Planted Plates, founded by Didcot entrepreneur Henna Afzal, began as a food truck at the park’s street food pop-up event, Milton Feast, in 2021.
After five years of steady growth, the business has moved from its first bricks-and-mortar site on Eastern Avenue to a larger unit at Signal Yard, marking a return to its roots within the Milton Park community.
Ms Afzal said: “When I started Planted Plates, I simply wanted to create food that people genuinely looked forward to eating. For me, it’s always been about flavour first.
“You don’t have to be vegan to enjoy great food, and we’ve been incredibly lucky to build such a supportive community of customers over the last few years.
“Milton Park has been part of our journey from the beginning.”
Planted Plates offers a daily-changing menu of plant-based breakfasts, lunches, pastries, and barista coffee.
The new space includes a larger seating area designed to encourage people to meet, work, and socialise throughout the day.
Ms Afzal added: “Starting at Milton Feast gave us the opportunity to test ideas, build a following and grow the business.
“Opening at Signal Yard feels like a full-circle moment and we’re excited to welcome both familiar faces and new customers through the door.
“I am incredibly proud of how far the business has come.
“This move gives us the opportunity to expand our offer, grow the team and continue building something that people genuinely enjoy being part of.”
The cafe also provides vegan catering services to businesses across Milton Park, using a zero-CO2 delivery vehicle.
Ms Afzal’s brother, Jack, has now joined the team as the company looks to recruit further staff.
The opening of Planted Plates is part of Milton Park’s £14m investment in Signal Yard, which aims to create a new social and retail destination for the park’s 280+ companies and the wider community.
Clare Fleet, asset manager of Milton Park at Federated Hermes Real Estate, said: “One of the ambitions for Signal Yard has always been to support independent businesses and create a destination that brings people together.
“Planted Plates perfectly captures that vision.
“Henna has built a fantastic business at Milton Park over the last five years and we’re delighted to see her become the first food and beverage operator to open at Signal Yard.”
Signal Yard is bringing together a mix of independent retailers, food and beverage operators, and health and wellbeing services in a central location at Milton Park.
Planted Plates has also been shortlisted in the Ox in a Box Awards, which celebrate Oxfordshire’s favourite independent food and drink businesses.
Public voting is open via the Ox in a Box website until 20 June 2026.
Rhubarb Seating, based in Oxfordshire, earned the title in Design Conformity’s 2026 industry report, which assessed the sustainability performance of more than 170,000 furniture businesses across the UK and Europe.
It was one of only four UK companies to receive the ‘Leader’ classification, reserved for just 0.1 per cent of those evaluated.
David Matthews, director at Rhubarb Seating, said: “Rhubarb has always got one eye on refurbishment and future-proofing when developing a product, focusing on making it easy to reupholster, repair and re-use.
“Being recognised above most of the sector’s biggest names validates what we’ve always believed: good design and sustainable design are the same thing.”
The recognition follows independent verification of Rhubarb’s Cantay and Banquette seating ranges through Design Conformity’s Carbon Efficiency platform.
Both products achieved C3 Carbon Efficiency Ratings, reflecting strong performance in planned reuse.
The analysis found the Cantay 2-Seater Sofa had a verified carbon footprint of 60.99kg CO₂e, while the Banq Medium Back Straight unit recorded 69.48kg CO₂e.
Mr Matthews said: “There is definitely something inherently beautiful about a board of timber, utilised to its maximum, to create the component elements of a piece of furniture.”
Certified products are now listed on the Design Conformity directory.
Widmore Park in Sonning Common, Oxfordshire, is once again backing Rotherfield United Walking Football Club and will provide two new goalposts as well as tournament shirts for the entire squad as part of its sponsorship.
The support builds on a growing partnership which has previously included sponsorship of a charity music event to help raise funds for the club’s nominated charities.
Ian Beale, a member of Rotherfield United Walking Football Club, said: “Sponsorship from Inspired Villages has been a very welcome boost to our club.
“We are a thriving Walking Football club but Inspired Villages support enabled us to buy new goals and a set of great new shirts which are used in monthly league matches.
“As we celebrate our 10th anniversary in 2026, we are looking to continued success and fun future years too.”
Widmore Park, owned and operated by Inspired Villages, is set to open this summer.
Georgina Ackary-Hawthorn, village manager at Widmore Park, said: “Rotherfield United Walking Football Club has been a fantastic community partner from the very beginning.
“Supporting the walking football team feels like a natural next step, as it reflects everything we stand for at Inspired Villages.
“We’re excited to see how this partnership continues to benefit both the team and the wider community.”
Widmore Park will offer 133 sustainable homes for residents aged 65 and over.
It will also feature communal amenities including a restaurant, café, hair salon, wellness centre, and fitness studio.
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