| Abstract [eng] |
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping marketing practices—from the processes of visual content creation to the ways in which consumers perceive and respond to brand communications. Recent studies indicate that while AI-generated content can be aesthetically appealing and economically efficient, consumers may react sensitively to the disclosure of authorship and to issues related to authenticity (Gao & Liu, 2022; Brüns & Meissner, 2024). This study examines the impact of human – versus AI-generated advertising visuals on consumer response, with particular attention to content appeal, perceived authenticity, and the moderating role of technology resistance. The research is motivated by contradictory findings in prior studies (Hartmann, Exner & Domdey, 2024; Elhajjar, 2024) and the growing need to better understand under what conditions AI-created content is accepted by consumers and when it triggers skepticism. The theoretical framework of this study is based on three interrelated perspectives: the processing fluency theory (Schwarz et al., 2020), which explains how easily processed content elicits positive emotional reactions; the aesthetic perception theory (Shi et al., 2021), which highlights the importance of design elements – such as color, proportion, and harmony – for consumers’ aesthetic satisfaction; and the authenticity theory (Ren et al., 2023), which interprets perceived genuineness and sincerity in content as essential drivers of consumer trust and behavioral intentions. In this study, visual appeal was operationalized through two components – processing fluency and aesthetic perception and their effects on consumer behavior were assessed through the mediating role of perceived authenticity. The latter was considered a central mechanism influencing consumer intentions, such as willingness to share, like, or recommend the content. Additionally, technology resistance was included as a moderating variable, potentially strengthening or weakening consumers’ responses to AI-authored advertising. An experimental design was applied between subjects manipulating content authorship (human vs. AI) and level of technology resistance (high vs. low). The results revealed that human authorship significantly increased both perceived processing fluency and aesthetic appeal, particularly among participants with high levels of technology aversion. Visual appeal predicted higher perceived authenticity, which in turn predicted stronger behavioral intentions. However, aesthetic perception exerted a weaker influence on authenticity than processing fluency. Based on these findings, it is recommended that brands explicitly communicate the human creative contribution in AI-generated content, especially when targeting audiences with higher skepticism toward technology. Furthermore, a hybrid creative strategy—combining the efficiency of AI with the authenticity of human input—is advised to foster long-term consumer trust and engagement. |
