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TRUVACE RECORD VERSION
record: TRV-2026-2654
version: 1
kind: certified
reason: Certified into the record
timestamp: 2026-11-12T16:57:11.785590Z
status: published
lens: p_space
sector: business
headline: Authenticity, Trust, and AI Skepticism in Green Advertising: How AI and Human Endorsers Influence Purchase Intention in E-Commerce
dek: Despite the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) endorsers in advertising, evidence of their effectiveness remains mixed. This study examines how AI and human endorsers influence purchase intention in green e-commerce advertising through the parallel and sequential roles of perceived authenticity and perceived trust. It also investigates whether AI skepticism moderates the relationship between endorser type and perceived authenticity. In a between-subjects experiment, 521 South Korean adults were randomly…
gain_title: (none)
problem_title: In a randomized experiment with 521 South Korean adults, a human endorser in a green ad held an authenticity advantage over an AI endorser, and authenticity was the first step in the path to trust and purchase intention.
trace_subject: (none)
gain_reading: (none)
gain_evidence: (none)
problem_reading: In a randomized experiment with 521 South Korean adults, a human endorser in a green ad held an authenticity advantage over an AI endorser, and authenticity was the first step in the path to trust and purchase intention.
problem_evidence: the human endorser’s authenticity advantage narrowing as skepticism increased | its influence began with authenticity, which mediated the effect independently
quick_read: A between-subjects experiment with 521 South Korean adults tested how AI and human endorsers shape purchase intention in green e-commerce advertising. Participants were randomly assigned to view a green ad featuring either a human or an AI endorser. Endorser type had no direct effect on purchase intention.

The effect ran through perceived authenticity. Authenticity mediated the effect on its own and also started a sequential path through trust. Trust never worked as an independent mediator; it mattered only after authenticity judgments were formed.

AI skepticism changed the picture. The human endorser's authenticity advantage narrowed as participants' skepticism toward AI rose, and the sequential indirect effect weakened at higher skepticism levels.
limitation: 
tag: Evidence-backed problem
key_points: The experiment randomly assigned 521 South Korean adults to see a green advertisement with either a human or an AI endorser. | Endorser type did not directly change purchase intention. | Perceived authenticity carried the effect of endorser type, both alone and as the first step in a path through trust. | Trust did not mediate the effect independently; it worked only downstream of authenticity. | The human endorser's authenticity advantage narrowed as AI skepticism increased, and the sequential indirect effect weakened at higher skepticism.
rundown: Researchers framed the work around mixed evidence on whether AI endorsers work in advertising. They tested how AI versus human endorsers affect purchase intention in green e-commerce ads, using perceived authenticity and perceived trust as parallel and sequential mediators.

The design was a randomized between-subjects experiment with 521 South Korean adults. Endorser type had no direct effect on purchase intention, so any influence depended on how viewers judged the endorser's authenticity and then their trust.

The authors say the findings treat endorser type as a source cue whose influence begins with authenticity judgments. For practitioners they point to substantiating environmental claims and testing AI and human endorsement strategies across relevant audience segments.
sources:
- peer_reviewed | Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research | https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer21090295 | 2026-09-01
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