Why human touch matters in AI-generated advertising: dual pathways to consumer satisfaction

Purpose This study uses dual-process theory to examine two ways in which human involvement in artificial intelligence (AI) advertising shapes ad satisfaction: warmth and reduced uncertainty. Furthermore, it proposes a new dual-path paradigm for digital advertising that balances technological efficiency and consumer satisfaction by comparing their effects. Design/methodology/approach Study 1 compared AI-only and AI–human collaborative advertising and evaluated a dual mediation model based on social presence, warmth, and uncertainty. Study 2A examined the robustness and relative strength of the two pathways by varying the product category, advertising format, and attentional focus. Study 2B identified boundary conditions by establishing a human-only baseline and adjusting disclosure granularity. Findings AI–human collaborative advertising increased perceived social presence. This increased ad satisfaction by promoting warmth and decreasing uncertainty, with warmth emerging as the dominant pathway. Originality/value This study provides new insight into a dual-pathway mechanism for overcoming the “Phygital Paradox,” in which AI-generated ads elicit consumer resistance. Relative to the most proximate streams in AI-generated advertising research, this study goes beyond proposing a social-presence-based chain by benchmarking the relative strength of warmth versus uncertainty pathways. It also identifies disclosure granularity as an actionable boundary condition for determining when human touch most effectively improves consumer satisfaction.