Customers’ perceptions of AI designers: the role of cognitive heuristics and customization

Purpose This study aims to analyze whether artificial intelligence (AI) (vs human) as a designer and offering users’ free choices for product customization (vs limited predefined choice sets) influence product and site attitude, and purchase intention. In the free choice condition, participants receive an open-ended textbox to write their preferences, akin to current Generative AI (GenAI) technologies. Design/methodology/approach A 2 (Designer: AI vs human) × 3 (Customization: low choice set vs medium choice set vs free choice) between-subject (N = 570) online experiment was conducted using an interface mimicking an e-commerce clothing company site. Analyses of covariance and mediation analyses were used to test the hypotheses. Findings Results revealed no difference (or negligible effect size) between AI and human designers for any outcome variables. However, regardless of the designer, the free choice condition led to more positive values for all outcome variables. The mediation analyses showed that this occurs because having free choice increases consumer agency. Originality/value GenAI advancements allow product customization based on user queries (vs a predefined limited choice set). However, an underexplored area is whether users would accept AI as an apparel designer and whether providing users with free choice for customization via prompting (a unique affordance of GenAI) will make a difference.