Toronto, ON (January 28, 2026) –- Trust now determines how products are understood, summarized, and recommended, not just by people, but by AI systems increasingly responsible for discovery.

The Butterly 2026 Trust Index was created to answer a simple question: what conditions actually produce trustworthy consumer insight today?

Based on feedback from approximately 2,100 Canadian consumers, the report examines how people experience trust when sharing product feedback, what makes them comfortable being honest, and why they choose to advocate for brands without being asked or incentivized.

The core finding is clear. When consumers feel respected, well matched to products, and confident their feedback is taken seriously, they provide more honest, balanced, and useful insight. Under those conditions, trust strengthens, authenticity emerges naturally, and advocacy follows.

This report is not about influencer behavior, promotional reviews, or volume at scale. It is about the conditions that shape insight quality and why those conditions matter more in an AI-first discovery environment.

Why This Report Matters Now

As AI reshapes how products are discovered and evaluated, the credibility of consumer feedback has become critical. Discovery is shifting away from clicks and impressions toward structured, experience-based signals that AI systems can interpret with confidence.

Not all feedback carries the same weight.

AI systems surface insight more reliably when it is honest rather than performative, grounded in real use, balanced in tone, and expressed in natural, specific language. The Butterly 2026 Trust Index shows these qualities are not accidental. They emerge when brands create environments where people feel safe being truthful and believe their voice matters. Click the image to view the full-size chart

What the Butterly 2026 Trust Index Reveals

Trust enables honesty. Nearly all participants report feeling comfortable being fully honest in their reviews, even when their experience is negative. Confidence that brands listen and take feedback seriously is similarly high, reinforcing the belief that participation is meaningful rather than transactional.

Community belonging supports engagement. Most participants feel connected to a brand’s community through Butterly rather than viewing participation as isolated tasks. This sense of belonging is reinforced through shared participation and alignment with products that fit real needs, not through constant interaction.

Authenticity is clearly defined by consumers. Authentic feedback is not polish, performance, or positivity. It is honesty, balance, and reflection of real-life use. Participants value the freedom to describe what worked and what did not without pressure to be positive.

Advocacy emerges naturally from trust. Most participants share their experiences outside the platform. This sharing is intentional and selective, motivated by usefulness rather than incentives. Advocacy, in this context, is about helping others make better decisions.

These patterns hold across generations. Different age groups contribute different perspectives, but all respond positively to clarity, respect, and meaningful participation.

What This Means for Brands

For brands operating in an AI-first discovery environment, the implications are straightforward.

Credible insight is not generated through pressure, scale, or promotional framing. It is built through product-to-person fit, clear expectations, and respect for honest input.

When these conditions are present, insight quality improves. Feedback becomes more detailed, more balanced, and more useful. Advocacy strengthens. Trust signals become more durable, for both people and the AI systems mediating discovery.

Trust is no longer a soft brand value. It is a structural input into how products are understood and recommended at scale.

Download the Full Butterly 2026 Trust Index

This article highlights the core findings of the Butterly 2026 Trust Index. The full report includes deeper analysis, supporting data, verbatim consumer perspectives, and detailed implications for brand, marketing, and product leaders.

If you are responsible for how your brand gathers feedback, builds trust, or shows up in AI-mediated discovery, the full report provides a clear, evidence-based foundation.

About Butterly

Butterly is a community-powered product testing and consumer insight platform designed to help brands understand how real people experience products in real-world conditions.

Butterly connects brands with a national community of Advocates who test products at home and share experience-based feedback grounded in everyday use. The platform prioritizes insight quality over volume, enabling brands to access honest, balanced perspectives that reflect how products perform in real life.

By focusing on product-to-person fit, clear expectations, and respect for honest input, Butterly creates the conditions for authentic feedback, credible advocacy, and insight brands can confidently apply in an AI-first world.