Framing the Future: How AI's Creation Versus Generation Visuals Affects Consumer Willingness to Pay

ABSTRACT This study explores how the framing of AI‐generated visuals as “creation” versus “generation” influences consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP). We propose that the framing of a visual as “created” by AI, as opposed to “generated” by AI, enhances consumers’ WTP due to increased perceptions of product value. We further examine the psychological mechanisms underlying this effect, suggesting that savoring—the enjoyment of contemplating the product's deeper meaning—mediates the relationship between creation framing and WTP. Additionally, we investigate two key moderators: the concreteness of the visual and the level of human‐AI collaboration. Specifically, we find that the effect of creation framing is attenuated when the visual style of the imagery is concrete rather than abstract, and that high human‐AI collaboration level in product development mitigates the positive impact of creation framing. This study contributes to understanding how language framing in AI marketing influence consumer behavior, offering implications for marketers seeking to optimize consumer engagement with AI‐generated products.