Revealing the creator: How AI and human picture disclosures shape perceived creator warmth, competence and overall attitudes towards the ad
(A2026-132880)

AUTHORS

Maria Mårtensson, Stockholm School of Economics

ABSTRACT

The study examined how disclosure of pictures (AI, human-created, none) shapes perceptions of the ad creator’s warmth, competence and overall attitude towards the ad. Grounded in the stereotype content model, an online experiment (n=299) tested three disclosure types. Results showed that creators of ads with AI-disclosed pictures were rated significantly lower in warmth, competence and attitude than creators of human-created and undisclosed ad pictures. Mediation analyses confirmed that warmth and competence fully mediated these effects. The findings suggest a human-favouritism bias, where consumers attribute positive traits to creators of ads with human-made pictures, but view creators of AI ad pictures as emotionally detached and less skilled. The study extends social perception theory to ad creators and offers insights for navigating new AI transparency rules, highlighting “human-created” disclosure as a forward-looking solution in an increasingly AI-dominated advertising future.