Transparency in business communication: AI-generated content and consumer responses
The DEMS Management Seminar series is proud to host
Fabrizio Cesaroni
(University of Messina)
ABSTRACT
The rapid adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the advertising industry has created both new opportunities and challenges for firms leveraging social media to promote their products and services. In particular, the emergence of Generative AI (gen-AI) is reshaping how advertising content is conceptualized and produced. Yet, despite the clear potential for creative automation, little is known about how disclosing AI use influences consumers’ perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors toward advertisements. This study investigates the effects of declaring AI use in social media advertising on consumer responses. Across experimental studies involving Italian participants, we show that transparency about AI involvement significantly enhances perceptions of advertising credibility and clarity of language. Consumers are also more inclined to like and share ads when AI use is disclosed, regardless of the product category. These findings indicate that openness about AI-generated content can foster greater consumer engagement and strengthen brand perception, while underlining the ethical and regulatory issues that warrant further research.
SHORT BIO
Fabrizio Cesaroni is a Full Professor of Strategic Management at the Department of Economics, University of Messina, Italy. He received a Ph.D. in Economics and Management of Innovation from the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna (Pisa, Italy) and has been a visiting professor at the University “Carlos III” of Madrid, Spain. He has been involved in several research projects at both the national and international levels. His main research interests are in technology and innovation management and focus on several complementary areas, including technological entrepreneurship, technology licensing strategies, and intellectual property rights management. He is also interested in studying the management of technology transfer processes from research organizations to industry, as well as the adoption of new technologies by consumers and low-tech firms.
The seminar will be in presence, Room 4057 - Building U7