Study: "AI" in the product description arouses mistrust among customers
If a product description contains the word "artificial intelligence", consumers are more likely to hesitate to buy, a study shows.
If a TV contains AI, people are less willing to buy it, says a study.
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Artificial intelligence (AI) in products makes customers more hesitant to buy. This was shown by a study conducted by Washington State University in the USA. According to the research team, if the product description contained the information that the product was related to artificial intelligence, this made the respondents less willing to buy. The results of the study were published in the Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management.
By surveying more than 1,000 adults in the USA, the researchers wanted to find out how the disclosure of AI in a product affects the reaction of potential customers, according to the university. The researchers found that products met with less enthusiasm if they had artificial intelligence built into them. Emotional trust in the product plays a major role in marketing and purchasing decisions. This also had an effect in the study, explains Mesut Cicek, Clinical Assistant Professor of Marketing and lead author of the study: "When AI is mentioned, emotional trust tends to decrease, which in turn reduces purchase intentions." Emotional trust plays a decisive role in how consumers perceive AI-supported products.
Greater skepticism with large investments
For the study, the research team divided the respondents into two groups: One group received product descriptions that mentioned AI, the other received the same description without AI in it. The group with the AI descriptions was less willing to buy the TV with AI, for example, than the comparison group without this feature.
The skepticism was even stronger for products with a high personal risk such as large investments, for example expensive electronics, medical devices or financial services. With these so-called high-involvement products, people usually make intensive preliminary considerations before making a purchase decision: they take a personal risk with the purchase if they make the wrong decision, such as a financial or health risk. As a result, AI can create even more mistrust in a product, says Cicek. "We tested the effect in eight different product and service categories, and the results were all the same: it's a disadvantage to include these kinds of terms in product descriptions."
Companies and marketing managers should carefully consider how they present artificial intelligence in their products, the study author recommends.
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