Persuasiveness of artificial intelligence versus human influencers: The interaction between agent knowledge and message construal through mentalizing

Lee, Dongchan

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/121321 Copy

Description

Title

Persuasiveness of artificial intelligence versus human influencers: The interaction between agent knowledge and message construal through mentalizing

Author(s)

Lee, Dongchan

Issue Date

2023-07-20

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Ham, Chang-Dae

Committee Member(s)

• Sar, Sela
• Su, Leona Yi-Fan

Department of Study

Advertising

Discipline

Advertising

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

M.S.

Degree Level

Thesis

Keyword(s)

• Influencer marketing
• Agent knowledge
• Construal level
• Mentalizing

Abstract

The recent emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) influencers has risen in prominence. As they gain popularity, it is expected that AI influencer marketing will shape the future of social media advertising. However, little empirical research has examined the persuasiveness of AI influencers compared to human influencers. To understand the nascent trend of AI influencer marketing, the present research examined the interplay between the types of influencers and persuasive messages by focusing on the concept of agent knowledge—lay beliefs that consumers hold about influencers as persuasion agents—and construal levels at which the agents and messages are mentally represented. Employing 2 (agent knowledge: AI influencer vs. human influencer) × 2 (message construal: low-level vs. high-level) between-subjects factorial experimental designs across two studies, the findings showed that AI influencers are as similarly effective in persuasion as human influencers when low-level messages are represented for utilitarian products, but human influencers outperformed their AI influencer counterparts when high-level messages are represented (Study 1). However, the interaction effects did not occur in hedonic products (Study 2). Additionally, the study revealed that mentalizing plays a mediating role between agent knowledge and persuasion coping outcomes, contingent on the levels of message construal. The moderated mediation analysis demonstrated that high-level messages facilitate, whereas low-level messages inhibit the underlying mentalizing mechanism. Based on the findings, theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

Graduation Semester

2023-08

Type of Resource

Thesis

Handle URL

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/121321

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2023 Dongchan Lee

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