Trust Issues : How stigma impacts consumer trust in GenAI-driven marketing

Sammanfattning

This thesis examines how stigmatization of generative artificial intelligence in marketing influences consumer trust. Drawing on the Stigma Turbine theory and Innovation Resistance Theory, the study adopts an interpretivist approach through nine semi-structured online interviews. Thematic analysis reveals that marketplace stigmas amplify functional and psychological barriers to adoption. Participants favour a co-pilot approach: AI (co-pilot) for efficiency and personalization, humans (pilot) for emotional creativity and ethical oversight. This research contributes to literature by extending the Stigma Turbine to technology-mediated consumption, mapping specific AI stigmas to resistance barriers, and positioning trust as the mediating mechanism between stigmatization and innovation resistance.