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TRUVACE RECORD VERSION
record: TRV-2026-2661
version: 1
kind: certified
reason: Certified into the record
timestamp: 2026-11-12T16:57:34.240992Z
status: published
lens: p_space
sector: lifestyle
headline: Effort vs. Efficiency: How Ideal‐Self Pursuit Shapes Consumer Preference for Substitutional AI ‐Powered Products
dek: ABSTRACT As artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly takes over human tasks, a critical question arises regarding the trade‐off between effort and efficiency in consumer decision‐making: despite AI's remarkable sophistication and its ability to enhance efficiency, why do many consumers still prefer to perform certain tasks themselves rather than delegate them to AI? Prior research has primarily examined this phenomenon from the perspectives of perceived competence and trust, while relatively little attention ha…
gain_title: (none)
problem_title: In a field study and four experiments, consumers with stronger ideal-self pursuit showed lower preference and reduced willingness to pay for AI-powered products that substitute for effort aimed at self-improvement, and the effect was stronger under high perceived self-threat.
trace_subject: (none)
gain_reading: (none)
gain_evidence: (none)
problem_reading: In a field study and four experiments, consumers with stronger ideal-self pursuit showed lower preference and reduced willingness to pay for AI-powered products that substitute for effort aimed at self-improvement, and the effect was stronger under high perceived self-threat.
problem_evidence: consumers with stronger ideal‐self pursuit exhibit lower preference and reduced willingness to pay for substitutional AI‐powered products
quick_read: A peer-reviewed study in the Journal of Consumer Behaviour found that consumers who strongly pursue an ideal version of themselves prefer substitutional AI-powered products less and will pay less for them. The finding comes from a field study and four experiments, and applies to domains where personal effort and capability development matter for reaching the ideal self.

The effect was stronger when consumers felt a high level of perceived self-threat. The researchers report that self-improvement motivation explains the link: products that replace effort aimed at self-improvement clash with what these consumers want to achieve.

The authors say this is not a wholesale rejection of AI. When AI-powered products were positioned as tools that support rather than substitute consumers' self-improvement efforts, ideal-self pursuit increased preference, which points to positioning as a lever for companies selling such products.
limitation: 
tag: Evidence-backed problem
key_points: The research combined a field study with four experiments on consumer responses to AI-powered products. | Consumers with stronger ideal-self pursuit showed lower preference and reduced willingness to pay for substitutional AI products. | Perceived self-threat moderated the effect: under high versus low threat, ideal-self pursuers preferred effort-replacing AI products even less. | Consumers' self-improvement motivation mediated the moderated relationship. | Framing AI as supporting rather than substituting self-improvement efforts made ideal-self pursuit increase preference. | The work draws on identity-based motivation theory and self-discrepancy theory, rather than the usual focus on perceived competence and trust.
rundown: The study starts from a puzzle: despite AI's sophistication and efficiency gains, many consumers still prefer to do certain tasks themselves. Earlier research mostly explained this through perceived competence and trust, giving little attention to self-identity and ideal-self pursuit.

Drawing on identity-based motivation theory and self-discrepancy theory, the authors tested domains where personal effort and capability development are central to attaining the ideal self. Across the field study and four experiments, stronger ideal-self pursuit went with lower preference and lower willingness to pay for substitutional AI products.

The effect depended on perceived self-threat and ran through self-improvement motivation. The authors conclude that positioning AI as support for self-improvement, rather than a replacement for effort, can align products with consumers' identity-related motivations.
sources:
- peer_reviewed | Journal of Consumer Behaviour | https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.70234 | 2026-08-28
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