Algorithm fashion designer? ascribed mind and perceived design expertise of AI versus human

Abstract The fashion industry can benefit from generative AI because the AI‐assisted design process has the potential to be more efficient and cost‐ and time‐effective. Under the mind perception theory, this study examines how consumers evaluate AI's experiential and intentional abilities and respond to AI‐designed versus human‐designed fashion products. The results of the three online experiments indicate that human‐designed products are generally more favorably evaluated than AI‐designed ones. Such preference was mainly because people ascribe a better intentional capacity to act and plan to humans than AI, which makes them believe humans have better design expertise. The preference for human design over AI design was found regardless of one's tendency to perceive AI threats. The receptivity to the AI design is increased for highly functional (vs. self‐expressive) products, but such a moderating effect of product type may not hold in intra‐product comparisons. Incorporating human elements into the AI‐assisted design process when introducing the products can alleviate the negative responses, but the effectiveness can vary depending on the levels of human elements. This study contributes to the literature by finding the perceptual superiority of human design and suggesting the potential of changing negative bias toward AI design.