Synthetic Diversity: Racial Depictions Influence Consumer Responses to AI-Generated Models in Advertising – MSI

Working Paper

Synthetic Diversity: Racial Depictions Influence Consumer Responses to AI-Generated Models in Advertising

Rhonda Hadi

University of Oxford

Esther Uduehi

University of Pennsylvania

Felipe Thomaz

University of South Carolina

Andrew Stephen

University of Oxford

May 15, 2026

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Analyzes a series of online experiments to determine how consumers respond when firms disclose that the diverse models in their ads are AI-generated and whether the racial identity of the depicted models matters.

Topics

advertising brands & branding Corporate social responsibility

research recap

AI Can Generate Synthetic Diversity (and Controversy) in Ads

GenAI can expedite creating ads but may compromise a firm’s image. Disclosure for Black—but not White—AI characters in ads reduces perceived cultural essence, weakens beliefs in the firm’s DEI commitment, and heightens perceptions of “woke washing.” Explicit collaboration with a Black-owned agency may help attenuate these negative effects.

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