Study Finds Consumers Are Actively Turned Off by Products That Use AI

The Byte: “Researchers have found that including the words “artificial intelligence” in product marketing is a major turn-off for consumers, suggesting a growing backlash and disillusionment with the tech — and that startups trying to cram “AI” into their product are actually making a grave error. As detailed in a new study published in the Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, researchers presented 1,000 respondents with questions and descriptions of products. Surprisingly — or perhaps not, depending on your perspective — they found that products described as using AI were consistently less popular. “When AI is mentioned, it tends to lower emotional trust, which in turn decreases purchase intentions,” said lead author and Washington State University clinical assistant profess of marketing Mesut Cicek in a statement. “We found emotional trust plays a critical role in how consumers perceive AI-powered products.” Strong Pass – In an experiment, the researchers found that a group of participants were far less likely to purchase a smart television when its description included the words “artificial intelligence.” A separate group was far more likely to buy it when the words were omitted from an otherwise identical description. For “high-risk” purchases such as expensive electronics or medical devices, the effect was even more pronounced, with Cicek suggesting that consumers are more wary of monetary loss or danger to physical safety…”