Do customers perceive AI-written communications as less authentic?

That’s the question a New York Institute of Technology professor raises in a new Journal of Business Research study. 

“AI is a new territory for brand marketers, but what we do know is that consumers highly value authentic interactions with brands,” says the study’s lead author, Colleen Kirk. She is Professor of Marketing and Management at the institute.  

“Although more companies are now using AI-generated content to strengthen brand engagement and attachment, no study has explored how consumers view the authenticity of textual content that was created by a robot,” Kirk says. 

Testing reaction to emotional messages written by AI 

Kirk and her study co-author, Dr Julian Givi of West Virginia University, completed various experiments to see how consumers react when emotional messages are written by AI. They hypothesised that consumers would view emotionally charged AI-generated content less favourably, impacting their perception of the brand and desire to interact with it. 

In one scenario, participants imagined receiving a heartfelt message from a fitness salesperson who helped them buy a new set of weights.  

The message stated that he was inspired by the consumer’s purchase, with some participants believing that it was AI-generated and others believing that the salesman drafted it himself (control group).  

While the members of the control group responded favourably, those in the AI group felt that the note violated their moral principles. 

As a result, they were also unlikely to recommend the store to others and more likely to switch brands when making future purchases. Many even gave the store poor ratings on a simulated reviews site. 

Other scenarios also revealed key findings in support of the researchers’ hypothesis: 

• AI-generated factual communications (vs. emotional communications) were less likely to elicit moral disgust, reduce positive word of mouth, and diminish brand loyalty among consumers. 

• AI-generated messages in which the robot had self-autonomy (for example, an AI-generated memo signed by ‘The Summit Apparel AI Chatbot’) were viewed more favourably than AI-generated messages signed by a company representative. 

• When participants believed that most emotional marketing communications were written by AI, they expressed disgust. The reverse was true when they believed most communications were written by a human. Therefore, brands may benefit from promoting the human origins of their products and communications. 

• Messages simply edited, but not written, by AI were less penalised for authenticity. 

In short, the findings suggest that companies must carefully consider whether, and how, to disclose AI-authored communications, always prioritising authenticity in their interactions with consumers.  

As governments seek to increasingly regulate AI disclosure, making consumers more aware of how brands craft their messages, Kirk says marketers will want to pay close attention to the study’s findings.