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Korean Academic Society of Business Administration
[ Article ]
korean management review - Vol. 54, No. 6, pp.1905-1938
ISSN: 1226-1874 (Print)
Print publication date 31 Dec 2025
Received 30 Jun 2025 Revised 01 Oct 2025 Accepted 05 Nov 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17287/kmr.2025.54.6.1905

Can Machines Be Authentic? A Study of Consumer Evaluations of AI-generated Advertising

Jung Eun Kwon
(First Author) Kogod School of Business, American University jkwon@american.edu
권정은


Copyright 2025 THE KOREAN ACADEMIC SOCIETY OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

This study explores consumer evaluations of AI-generated advertising, with a specific focus on perceived authenticity. Among the diverse typologies of AI advertising, particular attention is given to machine-dominant content, where AI independently generates the majority of creative elements with minimal human intervention. To highlight the distinct authenticity challenges of this approach, we compare it with human-driven AI advertisements. Using Topic Modeling based on Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and sentiment analysis, the study examines how consumer responses vary with perceived authenticity and identifies the key dimensions that shape authenticity perceptions. Findings reveal that consumer reactions are deeply rooted in concerns about authenticity, encompassing dimensions such as perceived effort and brand motives. Theoretically, this research extends authenticity scholarship into the domain of machine-generated content. From a managerial perspective, the results offer practical insights for marketers aiming to integrate AI technologies while preserving emotional resonance and trust in brand communications.

Keywords:

AI, AI-generated Advertising, Authenticity, Topic Modeling, Sentiment Analysis

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∙ Jung Eun Kwon is a Faculty Fellow at the Kogod School of Business, American University in Washington, D.C. She holds a Ph.D. in Marketing from Seoul National University’s Graduate School of Business. She earned both her bachelor’s degree in Communication and her master’s degree in Business Administration from Seoul National University. Her research interests include marketing communications, digital and entertainment marketing, AI-driven marketing strategies, and business ethics.