Unveiling the Dark Side of Companies Self-Promotion of Artificial Intelligence
(A2024-119392)

AUTHORS

Darina Vorobeva, NOVA IMS; Diego Costa Pinto, NOVA IMS Lisbon; Hector González, ESCP Business School; Nuno António, NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS)

ABSTRACT

Companies’ investment in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its dynamic promotion has been growing rapidly. However, such promotional activities can backfire. This research reveals that companies’ self-promotional activities of AI-based services decrease the customers' willingness to interact with AI-based (vs. human-based) services. The set of studies - Twitter text mining and experimental studies - demonstrate that self-promotion of AI-based technology has a pejorative effect on customers’ willingness to interact with such services and concurrently is perceived as bragging and exaggeration. In contrast, it has a beneficial outcome if self-promotion is done about human-related achievements. The findings suggest self-discrepancy as an underlying factor of such diversion. Lastly, the research provides suggestions to companies on how to diminish customers’ resistance to AI-based services using thinking (vs. feeling) skills.