Perceptions of AI Disclosure in Social Media Adverting: Associations with Brand Authenticity, Brand Trust and Behavioural Intentions among Italian Generation Z Consumers

This study aims to address the following research question: “How does the disclosure of AI-generated advertising on social media platforms such as Instagram or TikTok influence perceived brand authenticity, brand trust, and behavioural intentions among Italian Generation Z customers, and how does this effect vary according to individuals’ attitudes towards the use of AI.”. The main gaps that this question aims to address are, first, the lack of an integrated study of these specific variables and, second, the need to investigate how this issue is perceived in the current context among Italian Generation Z consumers. In order to develop this analysis, a literature review was conducted to explore studies on the subject, followed by a quantitative SEM-PLS analysis based on primary data. The results of this analysis demonstrate that perceived brand authenticity strongly influences brand trust, while brand trust strongly influences behavioural intentions. The disclosure of AI-generated advertising has a positive influence on brand trust, despite the opposite having been hypothesised, and finally, attitudes towards AI appear to positively influence perceived brand authenticity. This analysis, therefore, may challenge existing assumptions regarding the effects of disclosure and transparency in AI-generated advertising. This may be explained by the sample (Italian Generation Z) and by the increasingly normalisation of AI. Further research is needed to examine these potential explanations.