The Dark Sides of AI Advertising: The Integration of Cognitive Appraisal Theory and Information Quality Theory

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a collection of rapidly evolving disruptive technologies that radically alter various aspects of people, business, society, and the environment. AI increasingly provides significant advertising opportunities for society and business organizations. However, AI could be used to spread disinformation if it were deliberately programmed to produce misleading advertising content. Using cognitive appraisal theory and information quality theory to study how consumers assess threats and develop AI marketing coping strategies from the information generated by AI, this study examines the outcome of the dark side of AI advertising. We collected data from 451 AI-advertising users in Vietnam. The results based on PLS-SEM showed interesting and novelty results. The statistical analysis showed a negative correlation between contextual, representational, accessibility, and threat appraisals. There was also a statistically significant positive correlation between contextual, representational, accessibility, and coping appraisals. Threat appraisals were positively correlated with anger and anxiety but not loneliness. Coping appraisal was significant and negatively correlated with anxiety but not anger or loneliness. This study advances theory and management.