Authors: Ms. Devi.P, Ms. Pooja. P
Abstract: Brands are increasingly partnering with AI-generated influencers — computer-generated personas that post, endorse, and interact on social media. Whether such endorsers can build the credibility on which purchase decisions depend remains unclear. This study examines the effect of five attributes of AI-generated influencers — Perceived Realism, Perceived Authenticity, Perceived Expertise, Parasocial Interaction, and Perceived Transparency (AI disclosure) — on Brand Credibility, and tests the role of Brand Credibility in shaping Purchase Intention.A descriptive and analytical research design was adopted, and primary data were collected from 400 social media users in Tamil Nadu who had encountered branded content from AI-generated influencers, using a structured five-point Likert-scale questionnaire and stratified random sampling by age group. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, multiple regression, and bootstrapped mediation analysis (PROCESS Model 4).All five attributes significantly predicted Brand Credibility, with Perceived Authenticity (β = 0.268) and Perceived Expertise (β = 0.206) strongest; the model explained 59.0% of its variance. Brand Credibility strongly predicted Purchase Intention (β = 0.424), and the full model explained 64.2% of the variance in intention. Brand Credibility significantly mediated all five relationships, fully for Perceived Realism and Perceived Transparency and partially for the others. The findings offer implications for brands, agencies, and regulators on the use and disclosure of AI-generated influencers.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23415485
