Abstract

While Generative AI technology is revolutionizing the efficiency and creativity of video advertising production, consumer reactions remain mixed. This study focuses on the roles of authenticity and originality to elucidate the persuasive mechanism of AI-utilized advertising. Specifically, it empirically analyzes how the disclosure of ‘human involvement’ as the production agent affects consumer responses. To this end, an online survey was conducted targeting adults aged 20 to 34, collecting data from 379 participants (female = 59.4%, mean age = 22.5 years). The results are as follows: First, consumers perceived lower authenticity as the labeled degree of AI usage in the production process increased. Second, authenticity was found to fully mediate the effect of the level of AI usage on advertising attitude and purchase intention. In other words, the fact of AI usage itself did not have a direct effect on consumer responses, but it indirectly led to negative outcomes by diminishing perceived authenticity. Third, the analysis of the moderated mediation effect of originality revealed that in the ‘100% AI production’ condition, high originality backfired by exacerbating the decrease in authenticity, thereby reducing purchase intention. Conversely, in the ‘expert’s use of AI’ condition, the presence of human involvement buffered the decline in authenticity, significantly mitigating the negative effect of originality. In conclusion, this study suggests that ‘visible human involvement,’ which highlights the role of humans as creators rather than the technology itself, is a key factor in reducing consumer psychological resistance and enhancing persuasive effectiveness in AI advertising strategies.