Abstract
Newswise — While artificial intelligence technology advances have enabled rapid changes in AI generated content (AIGC) in advertising, little is known about consumer attitudes to AI-generated ads. Drawing on mind perception theory, we argue consumers have different attitudes toward AI-generated ads with agentic and communal appeals. Through four experiments, we show that consumers have more positive attitudes toward AI-generated ads with agentic appeals, and the effect is mediated by task self-efficacy, while they have more positive attitudes toward human-created ads with communal appeals, and the effect is mediated by social self-efficacy. Additionally, we found that assigning a social role to the AI advertising generator, a partner or a servant role, helps mitigate or even reverse the negative effects of AI-generated ads with communal appeals. This study contributes to the literature on AI advertising effectiveness, AI as an information source, and advertising appeals and provides meaningful insights and practical guidelines for advertisers.
