Authenticity over automation: how AI-mediated sustainability communication shapes trust and green purchase intention

Purpose Drawing on signalling theory and trust theory, this research aims to explore how consumers’ perceptions of AI involvement in sustainability communication shape perceived authenticity, green brand trust and green purchase intention. It also investigates whether perceived greenwashing risk weakens or strengthens these relationships. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 379 UK-based e-commerce consumers who had recently purchased eco-labelled or sustainability-positioned products. The proposed model was examined using partial least squares structural equation modelling, incorporating mediation and moderation analyses with bootstrapping procedures (see Figure 1). Findings The results indicate that perceived AI-mediated sustainability communication is positively associated with perceived authenticity, which in turn is positively related to green brand trust. Green brand trust mediates the relationship between perceived authenticity and green purchase intention. Furthermore, perceived greenwashing risk weakens the positive association between green brand trust and green purchase intention, indicating that the effectiveness of trust-based relationships varies according to consumers’ scepticism towards sustainability claims. Research limitations/implications The analysis demonstrates that investments in AI-enabled sustainability communication do not automatically lead to enhanced consumer responses. Instead, firms must ensure that such communication supports perceptions of authenticity and trust, particularly in markets characterized by heightened concerns about greenwashing. The findings further suggest that transparent and credible communication is essential for strengthening consumer trust and encouraging green purchase intention. Originality/value Rather than treating sustainability communication as a purely informational input, this study conceptualizes it as a process of signal interpretation in which consumers infer credibility and intent under conditions of information asymmetry. The findings extend existing green marketing and trust literature by demonstrating how perceived AI involvement functions as a contextual signalling cue that shapes authenticity judgements and by identifying perceived greenwashing risk as a factor that limits the effectiveness of trust-based sustainability communication.