How consumers respond to AI-generated advertising visuals: the moderating role of disclosure and product category

Details

Supervisors

Verardi, Vincenzo

Faculty

Louvain School of Management

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences de gestion, à finalité spécialisée
Master [120] en sciences de gestion, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

enIn the constant evolution of our modern world, few innovations have been as transformative and revolutionary as the emergence of artificial intelligence. In addition to changing how people live, work, and make decisions, artificial intelligence (AI) is now redefining the boundaries separating human and machine capabilities, an effect increasingly affecting marketing activities. This study lies at the intersection of three dimensions: disclosure effects, product-category moderation, and deception dynamics. It employs an experimental design, and was conducted using a convenience sample that gathered 164 participants. The results indicate that isolated AI-generated labels do not negatively affect consumer trust, emotions, perceived authenticity or purchase intentions. However, disclosed human-made visuals were found to reduce perceived authenticity by triggering consumer skepticism. In addition, direct comparisons reveal a preference for human-made advertisements, likely explained by perceived effort heuristics, while no significant interaction effects were observed across product categories. Finally, falsely claiming human authorship may have severe consequences: when consumers discover the true AI origin of content, trust and purchase intentions decline significantly. Further research should continue exploring this rapidly evolving context, especially given its growing relevance for both companies and consumers. Firms must navigate the trade-off between the cost-efficiency of AI use and potential consumer backlash, while consumers themselves are becoming increasingly aware of this new era of hyper-realistic content.