Measuring Consumer Aversion Toward AI in Marketing Communication and Assessing Its Relationship to Brand Perceptions and Purchase Intention

Some consumers exhibit aversion toward artificial intelligence (AI), particularly when it is embedded in persuasive marketing communication (MarCom). Here, we developed and validated a measure of consumer aversion to AI in MarCom and examined its downstream consequences for brand perceptions and purchase intention. Across three studies, we introduce an eight-item, vignette-based measure capturing discomfort with common AI uses in MarCom strategy and execution. Study 1 (N = 415) provides initial evidence of the measure's unidimensional structure, reliability, and nomological distinctiveness from the related construct of AI anxiety. Study 2 (N = 131) and Study 3 (N = 183) show experimentally that consumer aversion to AI directly predicts inferences of manipulative intent and brand skepticism. The results also showed that AI disclosure and brand familiarity influence baseline evaluations but do not eliminate aversion-driven resistance. Moreover, in Study 2, detailed AI disclosure reduced inferences of manipulative intent and brand skepticism, whereas the opposite was observed in Study 3 with a superficial disclosure. Overall, this research offers a validated tool for future research on AI-powered MarCom.