Human–Generative AI Collaboration in Digital Marketing: Its Impact on Consumer Trust, Purchase Intentions, and Financial Decision-Making
The increasing integration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) into digital marketing is transforming how consumers interact with information, evaluate alternatives, and make behavioural and financial decisions. However, the effectiveness of GenAI may depend on its integration with human judgment, contextual interpretation, and oversight. This study examines the influence of Human–Generative AI Collaboration (HGAIC) on Consumer Trust (CT), Purchase Intention (PI), and Financial Decision-Making (FDM). A quantitative cross-sectional design was adopted, using data from 438 consumers with prior experience of AI-enabled digital marketing interactions. The proposed model was evaluated using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to assess measurement quality, direct structural relationships, mediation effects, and predictive relevance. The results indicate that HGAIC has a strong positive effect on Consumer Trust and significant direct effects on Purchase Intention and Financial Decision-Making. Consumer Trust positively influences both decision outcomes and partially mediates the relationships between HGAIC and Purchase Intention and between HGAIC and Financial Decision-Making. The model demonstrates satisfactory explanatory and predictive capability, explaining 64.2% of the variance in Purchase Intention and 55.3% in Financial Decision-Making. The findings establish trust as a key behavioural mechanism through which human–GenAI collaboration contributes to consumer decision outcomes. The study extends collaborative intelligence research into consumer-facing digital marketing and highlights the importance of combining GenAI-enabled personalization and decision assistance with transparent human oversight, validation, and accountability.