Artificial creativity in luxury advertising: How trust and perceived humanness drive consumer response to AI-generated content

This study investigates how perceived artificial creativity influences consumer purchase intentions through the dual pathways of AI quality and advertising attributes in luxury advertising. Drawing on creativity theory and advertising effectiveness models, we examine how perceived artificial creativity shapes trust in AI and perceived humanness, which in turn affect four key advertising attributes: informativeness, entertainment, credibility, and novelty. Using data from 461 respondents with prior generative AI experience, we tested AI-generated luxury brand advertisements created using ChatGPT-3.5, Mid-Journey, and Studio DID. Results reveal that perceived artificial creativity positively influences both trust in AI and perceived humanness. These quality dimensions significantly impact advertising attributes, which subsequently affect purchase intentions. The strongest effects on purchase intention were found through informativeness and novelty. This research contributes to our understanding of how AI-generated content influences consumer behavior in luxury advertising contexts and provides practical implications for implementing AI in luxury brand communications. • Novel validation of Gough's Creativity Scale for AI evaluation in luxury advertising context. • Trust in AI and perceived humanness form dual pathways influencing ad effectiveness. • Informativeness and novelty drive strongest purchase intentions. • Combined use of ChatGPT-3.5, Mid-Journey, and Studio DID for luxury ad generation. • First empirical test of artificial creativity's impact on luxury advertising attributes.