Unhealthy by design? The influence of AI-generated packaging on consumer health perceptions

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly prevalent in enhancing productivity and manufacturing efficiencies, its applications extend to creative domains such as product packaging design. Across three between-subjects experiments, this research examines the unintended consequences of AI-generated packaging on consumer perceptions of product healthfulness (e.g. a non-alcoholic seltzer). Participants were randomly assigned to conditions in all studies and evaluated identical product packages that varied only in the design source (i.e. AI-designed, human-designed, or co-created by AI and humans). Results demonstrate that packaging disclosed as AI-created reduces perceptions of product naturalness, which in turn lowers perceived healthfulness and purchase intentions. By integrating experimental evidence across multiple samples and design structures, this work advances understanding of how AI cues in marketing communications (e.g. package design) shape health-related inferences by consumers.