The power of personalization: Generation Z's emotional response to AI food marketing under the EU AI act

Purpose AI-driven marketing is transforming how food brands connect with younger audiences, especially Generation Z (Gen Z). Artificial intelligence has evolved from a trend into a structural norm that influences personalization and persuasion in food marketing. This paper examines how Gen Z engages with AI versus traditional food ads, mapping psychological pathways and their relevance to the EU AI Act. Design/methodology/approach An online survey of 982 participants (ages 18–27) from Hungary, Germany and Spain compared responses to a traditional Lidl ad and an AI-generated Heinz ad. Engagement was measured using a shortened Multimedia Ad Exposure Scale (MMAES) alongside established psychological scales for social media addiction, compulsive buying, flourishing and eating style. Analyses included t-tests, correlations and clustering. Two new measures, the Impulse Susceptibility Score (ISS) and the Flourishing Engagement Delta (FED), were introduced as scalable risk assessment tools. Findings The AI-generated ad elicited significantly higher engagement than the traditional ad. Impulsivity-related traits correlated with elevated engagement, indicating susceptibility to persuasive content. Unexpectedly, participants with high well-being (flourishers) also showed stronger engagement, revealing a “flourishing paradox”. Clustering identified two pathways aligning with EU AI Risk categories. The ISS and FED detected that about 28% of participants fall into a high-risk group. Originality/value The study shows how AI-generated ads activate dual psychological pathways: impulsive and reflective. By introducing ISS and FED, it offers scalable tools for assessing digital risk profiles and supports responsible innovation in AI food marketing by exposing its algorithmic influence on consumer behaviour and engagement.