Purpose

Synthetic advertising, which involves creating or modifying ads through artificial intelligence (AI) technology, has recently transformed the field of media and advertising. Despite its emerging importance, our understanding of consumer perceptions in this context is limited. This study is one of the first to explore the impact of synthetic advertising on consumer behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

Across two between-subject experimental studies, using coffee shop customers in the USA, we tested how, why and when awareness of falsity in AI-generated corporate social responsibility (CSR) ads affects online brand engagement.

Findings

In Study 1, awareness of falsity in AI-generated CSR ads negatively impacts online brand engagement, with perceived sincerity mediating this relationship. Additionally, a higher level of CSR authenticity mitigates the negative effect of awareness of falsity on online brand engagement. CSR authenticity does not moderate the mediation effect of perceived sincerity in the relationship between awareness of falsity and online brand engagement. In Study 2, the relationship between awareness of falsity and online brand engagement is moderated by brand familiarity. Importantly, perceived sincerity only mediates this effect for unfamiliar brands, not familiar ones.

Practical implications

This study provides key insights for managers using AI to promote CSR initiatives. While AI can save time and budget, it may lead to negative consumer reactions due to perceptions of insincerity. To mitigate this, companies should focus on enhancing the authenticity of their CSR efforts and humanizing AI-generated ads. Additionally, established brands should be cautious of reduced consumer engagement with AI-generated content, while unfamiliar brands can benefit by emphasizing sincerity in their messaging.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the first studies that discuss how, why and when awareness of falsity in AI-generated corporate social responsibility ads affects online brand engagement.

中文翻译：

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对于人工智能，我们不信任！人工智能生成的企业社会责任广告中的虚假意识与在线品牌参与度之间的关系

 目的

合成广告涉及通过人工智能（AI）技术创建或修改广告，最近已经改变了媒体和广告领域。尽管其重要性日益凸显，但我们对消费者在这方面的看法的理解仍然有限。这项研究是最早探讨合成广告对消费者行为影响的研究之一。

设计/方法论/途径

通过两项受试者间实验研究，我们以美国的咖啡店顾客为对象，测试了人工智能生成的企业社会责任 (CSR) 广告中的虚假意识如何、为何以及何时影响在线品牌参与度。

 发现

在研究 1 中，人工智能生成的企业社会责任广告中的虚假意识会对在线品牌参与度产生负面影响，而感知到的诚意会调节这种关系。此外，更高水平的企业社会责任真实性可以减轻虚假意识对在线品牌参与度的负面影响。企业社会责任真实性不会调节感知诚意在虚假意识与在线品牌参与度之间关系中的中介作用。在研究 2 中，虚假意识与在线品牌参与度之间的关系受到品牌熟悉度的调节。重要的是，感知到的诚意只会对不熟悉的品牌产生这种影响，而不是熟悉的品牌。

 实际意义

这项研究为管理者使用人工智能促进企业社会责任计划提供了重要见解。虽然人工智能可以节省时间和预算，但它可能会因为不诚实的感觉而导致消费者的负面反应。为了缓解这一问题，公司应该专注于提高企业社会责任工作的真实性，并使人工智能生成的广告人性化。此外，知名品牌应警惕消费者对人工智能生成内容的参与度下降，而不熟悉的品牌可以通过强调信息传递的诚意而受益。

 原创性/价值

本文是首批讨论人工智能生成的企业社会责任广告中的虚假意识如何、为何以及何时影响在线品牌参与度的研究之一。