Beware of Promoting AI in Products, Researchers Warn Marketers (msn.com)
- Reference: 0178228142
- News link: https://slashdot.org/story/25/06/29/2310217/beware-of-promoting-ai-in-products-researchers-warn-marketers
- Source link: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/here-s-a-tip-to-companies-beware-of-promoting-ai-in-products/ar-AA1HDkwE
> The effect is especially pronounced for offerings perceived to be riskier buys, such as a car or a medical-diagnostic service, say [2]the researchers , who were from Washington State University and Temple University. "When we were thinking about this project, we thought that AI will improve [consumers' willingness to buy] because everyone is promoting AI in their products," says Dogan Gursoy, a regents professor of hospitality business management at Washington State and one of the study's authors. "But apparently it has a negative effect, not a positive one."
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> In multiple experiments, involving different people, the researchers split participants into two groups of around 100 each. One group read ads for fictional products and services that featured the terms "artificial intelligence" or "AI-powered," while the other group read ads that used the terms "new technology" or "equipped with cutting-edge technologies." In each test, members of the group that saw the AI-related wording were less likely to say they would want to try, buy or actively seek out any of the products or services being advertised compared with people in the other group. The difference was smaller for items researchers called low risk — such as a television and a generic customer-service offering...
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> Meanwhile, a separate, forthcoming study from market-research firm Parks Associates that used different methods and included a much larger sample size came to similar conclusions about consumers' reaction to AI in products. "We straight up asked consumers, 'If you saw a product that you liked that was advertised as including AI, would that make you more or less likely to buy it?' " says Jennifer Kent, the firm's vice president of research. Of the roughly 4,000 Americans in the survey, 18% said AI would make them more likely to buy, 24% said less likely and to 58% it made no difference, according to the study. "Before this wave of generative AI attention over the past couple of years, AI-enabled features actually have tested very, very well," Kent says.
[1] https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/here-s-a-tip-to-companies-beware-of-promoting-ai-in-products/ar-AA1HDkwE
[2] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19368623.2024.2368040#d1e1096
And Tim Cook says.... (Score:2)
"Now you tell me!"
A perfect example of disconnect (Score:3)
> When we were thinking about this project, we thought that AI will improve [consumers' willingness to buy] because everyone is promoting AI in their products
This is a great example of the complete disconnect that exists between the intellectual class and the population in general. And you can see similar disconnects with other classes like scientific, business, and most of all, political class. People living in these silos almost exclusively interract with other people in their own silos, and they come to believe that their specific way of thinking, values, etc, are representative of the population at large.
I'm sure that Gursoy guy was genuinely surprised by the results of his study, while for most of the rest of the population these results were entirely predictable and completely obvious.
Re: (Score:2)
The tech world isn't the "intellectual" class. It's the crass profit-at-all-costs business class. That's why they market AI: they know perfectly well AI is shit and nobody but corporate bean counters want it, but corporate bean counters is where the money is.
Re: A perfect example of disconnect (Score:1)
Never ascribe to malice that which can be adequately explained by insularity and shortsightedness. Or stupidity if we're being judgy in our attempt to not be judgemental.
Information bubbles exist. Some are defined by language barriers. Others by geography and others still by culture.
Maybe they're deliberately peddling shit. Or maybe they believe their own propaganda. It's not like that never happens.
Fleet Enemas (Score:2)
Now with AI!
Honest alternative to powered by ai (Score:1)
Outsourced to some third world fuck making slave wages sitting at a computer waiting to answer your prompt.
I see more and more products marketed as AI-free (Score:4, Interesting)
It's becoming a selling point.
Hell, I even watched a video leaked from some OnlyFans account that had the preamble "This content creator prides herself in making her own content herself entirely: no AI bullshit involved!" If the porn industry rejects it, you know it's bad for business.
Re: (Score:3)
Onlyfans isn't the porn industry Onlyfans are individual "artists" who know AI will replace them. The big players in porn very likely support AI cause then that means they don't have to pay actors anymore.
Re: (Score:2)
Correct. There are spambots all over YouTube comment sections linking to AI "camgirl" sites that are slowly trying to take over the camgirl space (which is essentially the space occupied by or adjacent to OnlyFans). These bots are popping up in "family friendly" channels, and banning them all has become quite a chore.
If they've reached that far outside of adults-only spaces then you can imagine how far is their reach.