AI VS. HUMAN DESIGNERS: EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AI-GENERATED VISUAL CONTENT IN DIGITAL MARKETING

In the rapidly evolving landscape of digital marketing, the quest for more effective and engaging visual content is relentless. With artificial intelligence (AI) making significant strides, an important question arises: Can AI tools for design surpass the creativity and effectiveness of human graphic designers? This intriguing inquiry forms the cornerstone of our study. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of AI- generated versus human-designed advertisements through a practical approach. In the first phase, both a human graphic designer and an AI tool were given identical tasks and prompts to create visual ad solutions. In the second phase, the efficiency of these designs was assessed using Meta's A/B testing solution for Facebook and Instagram ads. This method allows the testing of visual variables by showing different ad versions to segmented audiences, ensuring that no individual sees both versions and that the budget is evenly distributed. The test duration is recommended to be two weeks or until 100 conversions are collected. This experiment, conducted in August 2024 as part of a campaign for FTN Business School's 2024/2025 enrollment, aims to provide a comprehensive insight into the actual capabilities of graphic solutions created by human designers versus AI tools. The outcome of this test promises to offer valuable insights into the real-world performance of AI-generated designs compared to those crafted by human designers. Will AI tools emerge as the new maestros of design, or will the nuanced touch of human creativity prevail? Our research aims to shed light on this cutting-edge debate, providing data-driven conclusions.