Abstract:

The increased adoption of AI-generated pictures in cosmetics marketing has intensified debate concerning their implications on consumer trust, earlier studies yielding contradictory outcomes, particularly regarding disclosure. This theory-driven systematic review expands beyond linear stimulus response models by proposing a process-based explanation of consumer evaluation. Using PRISMA techniques, 81 peer-reviewed articles published between 2020-2025 across marketing, consumer psychology, health and human-AI interaction were evaluated to find critical mediators and boundary conditions. The findings demonstrate consensus around psychological mediation: AI disclosure and synthetic images influence trust indirectly through persuasion knowledge activation, perceived manipulative intent, and cognitive processing. Inconsistencies are explained by competing mediators, variations between explicit and implicit measurements, temporal adaptation, and over-disclosure effects. Consumer heterogeneity including AI literacy, age, and cultural orientation act as multilevel moderators, supporting a conditional process model of AI trust creation.

Please choose your submission type: Full Paper

Primary Track: Marketing and Retail

Keywords: Digital and social;Marketing communications;Marketing strategy

Menu

Dr. Yu-Lun Liu