This research note examines the effect of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated video reviews on consumer trust and purchase intention within an entrepreneurial marketing context. As entrepreneurs increasingly adopt AI avatars to generate persuasive content and accelerate digital engagement, ethical challenges regarding transparency and authenticity arise. Using a pre-test/post-test design, 134 adult participants viewed a hotel video review that they initially believed to be created by a real person. After learning that the reviewer was an AI-generated avatar, participants reported their trust and purchase intention again. Results from paired-sample t-tests revealed significant declines in both trust (Formula: see text, Formula: see text, Formula: see text) and purchase intention (Formula: see text, Formula: see text, Formula: see text). The findings underscore the ethical tension between entrepreneurial agility and consumer transparency, suggesting that while AI avatars offer cost-effective entrepreneurial marketing opportunities, undisclosed use can erode relational trust and damage brand credibility. Entrepreneurs are encouraged to prioritize disclosure and authenticity when integrating AI tools into customer-facing communications.
Furner et al. (Fri,) studied this question.