I don’t know about you, but AI hasn’t reduced the amount of spam hitting my inbox

Or the quality of the spam

What has changed (slightly) is the style of the emails I get

Instead of the usual cold open, most now begin with what I call the “platitude paragraph”

It’s that first line designed to flatter you, reference your business, or create the illusion of relevance

For example:

“I was on DLAignite's website and was impressed by their commitment to transforming businesses through social media strategies that foster more engaging conversations with customers and employees.”

This may sound personal, but it’s usually generated by AI and bolted on before the inevitable sales pitch: “buy my product because we are great”

The irony is that while AI is helping businesses churn out this kind of messaging at scale, consumers are becoming increasingly skeptical

SAP Emarsys research found that although 92% of marketers now use AI in their day-to-day operations, 60% of consumers say marketing emails are irrelevant and 40% feel brands simply don’t understand them as people (up from 25% the year before)

That’s a huge disconnect. It highlights what the research calls the “personalisation gap”, where investment in AI-driven tailoring isn’t translating into genuine human connection

The report ends with a simple but powerful reminder:

“The AI revolution is here, but for it to truly succeed, marketing professionals need to remember the person on the other side of the screen.”

Conclusion

AI may be changing the mechanics of marketing, but it hasn’t yet cracked the code on authenticity

If brands want to close the personalisation gap, they need to go beyond the platitude paragraph and focus on building trust, relevance, and real human connection