Keywords: AI-Art Infusion Effect, Artificial Intelligence in Art, ATF24.
As part of the international ArtTech Fusion 2024 (ATF24) series organized by the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH), the keynote session titled “Digital Brushstrokes: Unveiling the AI-Art Infusion Effect” featured Professor Carsten Baumgarth, who presented the latest findings from a series of studies on the impact of AI-generated art on consumer evaluation of products and brands.
The keynote session “Digital Brushstrokes: Unveiling the AI-Art Infusion Effect” attracted a large audience of experts, academics, businesses, artists, government officials, lecturers, and students, both domestic and international. Professor Baumgarth, from the Berlin School of Economics and Law, Germany, is a leading authority in exploring the impact of artistic creativity on brand strategy, with many years of research in marketing, product design, and brand building.
Exploring AI Art and the Art Infusion Effect
In his presentation, Professor Baumgarth demystified the intersection between artificial intelligence (AI) and art, clarifying the impacts that AI art may have on consumer perceptions of products and brands. The lecture offered an in-depth perspective on the Art Infusion Effect—a classical concept in product design, marketing, and brand management.
The lecture focused on three key aspects:
- The Diffusion Effect of Classical Art: The Art Infusion Effect has been confirmed by numerous empirical studies, demonstrating that integrating art into product design, packaging, advertising, or communication campaigns not only enhances the perceived value of products but also increases brand liking and recognition. However, the rise of digital art, especially AI-generated art, has opened new avenues. In the digital era, AI is not merely a supporting tool but can autonomously create unique works of art not made by humans. This raises the question of whether AI-generated art can produce the same diffusion effect as traditional art.
In practice, the integration of AI-created art into areas such as design, advertising, or communication is becoming increasingly common, indicating that the diffusion effect of AI art is being widely recognized and applied. Nevertheless, debates continue on whether AI art can achieve the same level of impact and value as traditional art. Some argue that AI art, due to its high innovation and originality, can create entirely new and distinctive works. Its uniqueness and refined beauty can trigger strong diffusion effects, capturing attention and leaving impressions on consumers. Moreover, AI art can offer novel interactive experiences, enhancing user engagement and connection with brands.
Conversely, others argue that traditional art embodies profound humanistic values, reflecting human souls and emotions, thereby generating powerful diffusion effects and genuine emotional bonds with viewers. In contrast, AI art is still perceived as limited in expressing human emotions and sentiments. To address this, experts suggest integrating elements of traditional art into AI-generated works—combining the lines, colors, and emotions of traditional art with AI’s creations to produce works that are both groundbreaking and deeply humanistic. This combination could generate strong diffusion effects, simultaneously attracting attention with novelty and fostering emotional connections with audiences.
Furthermore, integrating AI art into various fields must be executed thoughtfully and appropriately, requiring collaboration between human creativity and AI capabilities to produce meaningful works that suit the intended context.
- The Impact of AI Art on Consumer Psychology: AI-generated art is increasingly prevalent and utilized across sectors, from music videos to magazines. When integrated into products, packaging, or advertising campaigns, AI art can enhance customer liking and recognition of products or brands. Research shows that using AI art not only enhances creativity but also helps products become more relatable and emotionally connected to consumers. Studies reveal that consumers often perceive AI art as authentic art, finding it difficult to distinguish from human-made art. However, when they learn that a piece was created by AI, their evaluations might diminish.
In reality, the psychological impact of AI art on consumers is complex and multifaceted. On one hand, AI art offers creativity, uniqueness, and novelty, capturing attention and leaving strong impressions. This can lead to positive effects, making products stand out and fostering stronger consumer connections. On the other hand, once consumers are aware that a work is AI-generated, they may feel a lack of humanity and emotion, thus evaluating it less favorably.
To address this, producers and advertisers need smart strategies in utilizing and presenting AI art. Rather than using AI art in isolation, they can combine it with traditional art elements and human-centric storytelling. This creates works that are both novel and creative, while also rich in humanistic and emotional values, thereby strengthening consumer bonds. Additionally, promoting AI art transparently is crucial. Instead of concealing the AI origin of the artwork, producers can share the story behind the AI’s creative process, its training, and the technologies used. This helps consumers better understand the creative process and appreciate AI art more deeply.
Moreover, further research is necessary on consumer psychology and attitudes towards AI art. By understanding the factors influencing consumer evaluations, producers can adjust their strategies for using AI art appropriately, maximizing positive effects and minimizing negative ones. Finally, the use of AI art must comply with ethical and legal principles regarding intellectual property rights and privacy. Producers should ensure that their use of AI art does not infringe on intellectual property rights and respects consumer privacy.
3. Research Findings and Experimental Data:
The lecture delved into the latest research findings from scientific experiments, addressing whether AI art can elicit similar positive impressions and feelings as traditional art. Professor Baumgarth presented the results of two studies demonstrating the relationship between consumer emotions and the visual effects of AI art.
Study 1: This study used 30 images across five different art styles, created by both humans and AI. The results showed that consumers evaluated AI art positively but found it less unique compared to human-created art.
Study 2: This study employed fictional brands and product categories with four packaging designs: AI art integration, human-created art, real photographs, and no image. The results indicated that AI art created an Art Infusion Effect similar to human-created art, leading to more positive brand attitudes. However, when consumers became aware that the creator was AI, brand evaluations could decline.
Conclusion: AI art can produce an art infusion effect; however, awareness of AI as the creator may negatively impact perceptions.
Practical Implications for Brand Building: These studies help businesses better understand consumer behavior in a technology-driven context, influencing customer perceptions. Professor Baumgarth concluded that AI art holds significant potential for collaboration with companies and brands.
The explosion of advanced technologies such as AI, AR/VR, and blockchain has opened new horizons for marketing. Applying AI art not only enables businesses to create unique, attention-grabbing advertising campaigns but also fosters deep emotional connections with customers. However, alongside these evident benefits, the application of AI art also raises several issues that require careful research, including its impact on traditional creative industries, shifts in consumer perceptions of art, and legal challenges related to intellectual property and copyright.
| ATF24 – A Platform Contributing to Shaping the Future of Creative Youth Towards Sustainability Aligned with the development of the ArtTech field, the annual international ArtTech Fusion (ATF) series is organized by the ArtTech Hub (ATH) in collaboration with UEH School of Technology and Design (CTD) and both domestic and international partners, with varying themes each year. In 2024, the third edition of the ArtTech Fusion series is held under the theme “New ArtTech for Future Generations,” aiming to ignite and promote the creative thinking and innovative actions of future generations, contributing to building a sustainable society. Throughout the 3-day ATF24 journey (October 22–24, 2024), over 30 academic and practical activities are organized, including 5 keynote speeches, 10 special sessions, 5 parallel research presentation sessions, 5 workshops, 1 academic book chapter publication, 9 exhibitions, 1 heritage connection trip, and 1 tangible performance. |
Authors: MSc. Nguyen Thi Thuy Quynh, Nguyen Huu Ngoc Doan – University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH)
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News, images: Authors, UEH Communications and Partnership Development Department
