Consumer Perceptions on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Marketing

Objectives With regards to the extent that contemporary research on the use of artificial intelligence in marketing has been conducted, the main objective of this study was to explore the perceptions consumers had on the use of artificial intelligence in marketing. Through interviews, insights were developed to gather the perceptions of consumers from both the United States of America and Finland. With the insights of the interviewees properly coded and analyzed findings of value to marketers were to be reported. Summary The research first gathered exploratory insights through an initial survey, which was also used to further contact potential interviewees that fit necessary criteria. The aim of the interviews was to address two research questions on how the consumers of American nationality compare to those of Finnish nationality, as well as a research question testing for desensitization of the interviewees towards AI-based advertising. Conclusions Based on qualitative analysis of the interviewees’ answers to twelve base questions and additional probing questions, it was found that the consumers’ perceptions of the use in AI differ indeed. The Finnish interviewees displayed signs of apathy and openness to the use of AI, whereas the American interviewees displayed signs of concern aversity to the use of AI in analyzing consumer data. Not enough signs of desensitization occurred in the interviews to disprove the null research question. The findings imply difference in consumer aversion and support that marketers must account for in an international setting