I built my business on one key faith: People Trust Video. Now at least earlier. I’m not so sure now. Recently, I have seen more videos that look really, but they are not. Deepfakes. Avatars generated by AI. First, this technology impressed me. I’m worried now. If the brands do not soon, a video of the most rich marketing tools could lose credibility and I believe that this collapse of trust is faster than we expect.

Related: Considering ownership of franchise? Start now and find your personal list of what matches your lifestyle, interests and budgets.

The story begins why the video works. For years, video connected brand and audience at human level. You could see a voice crack of the founder to talk about their mission. You could watch a smile of franchises and tell the story of opening a new location. You felt the passion of ceso when they described the vision for the future. The emotional connection of the built video because it was real. You believed what you saw.

The risk is not just that video AI exists, but it is that the audience will not be able to say what is real.

Now this is a blur line. With one challenge, the AI ​​can generate an opinion or a report on the management that looks and sounds authentic. But a person on Scren is not real, the voice is not theirs and the moment has never happened. The risk is not just that the video exists. It is that viewers will not be able to tell for a long time what is right. And if they can’t say it, they stop trusting the whole medium.

I believe the brands will soon face the selection. In the next few years, viewers will require video content to be clearly indicated: human or not. Just as we expect to know whether the product is an organic or sustainable source, we will want to know whether the video has created a personal or algorithm. Brands that include this transparency will build confidence, brands that will not disrupt it.

Related: A franchise candidate you should think about twice – and why

We have always decided to film real people at Franchisefilming. No scripts, no avatars, no green screen. We travel to rent, capture franchises in our own environment and carefully document their stories. I filmed veterans who attribute franchising to help them rebuild their lives. Parents who opened businesses to leave a heritage for their children. Immigrants who built a new life through business. The power of these stories comes from their humanity. No AI can replicate it. Pauses, tears, laughter – it is not that you could evoke existence, earn through a real experience.

This commitment to authenticity is now more than ever.

This commitment to authenticity is now more than ever. As the content of our resources, they will be tempted to chase efficiency over confidence. I recall the appeal. Generalized video AI is fast and cheap. But if you lose the confidence of the audience, it will not replace any love for speed or savings. Trust, as soon as they lose, it is almost impossible to regain.

As a leader, we must set the standard. This begins clearly by marking the content. If the video contains a voice generated by AI or Avatar, say it. If he has a real person filmed for rent, say it too. The more transparent, the more we believe. And besides labeling, we have to recommend human stories. Real stories are still winning, they will always. In the coming years, this will become a competitive advantage. In the world saturated with artificial content, authenticity stands out. People want to connect with other people. They want to feel something real, they want to believe what they see.

Related: How IFA plans to strengthen the franchise industry of $ 800 billion in 2025

The question is not that the video will continue to grow – it will. The question is that we, as brand leaders, will have the courage to protect what the video is doing first: Truth. If we do not do so, we risk one of the most human marketing tools will turn into another source of skepticism.

I believe it is sometimes for leadership. The brands that are now acting – which lead with honesty, transparency and real stories – win in the long run. The abbreviations will not be. The video is still the most tool for narration we have, but only if people believe it.