AI Content in B2B Marketing: Comparing Human Creativity and Machine Creativity Capabilities

Abstract

Research Topic：The development and application of artificial intelligence (Al) in B2B marketing. The aim of this Ph.D thesis is to discover how AI-generated content stands up when compared with human-created originals in terms of trustworthiness, Clarity, emotional Fascination, and Over all effectiveness. As AI technologies such as GPT-based text generation and image synthesis models are increasingly integrated into marketing processes, it is important that we understand audience perception of such content in order for effective communication strategies to emerge from B2B environments where they also occur ethically. By empirical research, the investigation fills a gap in current studies on corporate marketing, looking at how B2B audiences respond to AI-generated versus human-created content. It is intended to find out whether the source (AI or human) o2023f a given piece of content makes any difference and then whether preferences and Trust are affected, and also how familiarity with Al interprets perception. To this end, in one survey-based approach quantitative research participants were asked to evaluate paired image and text samples which were either composed by computer (AI) or by a human writer. They were then asked to rank them in terms of appeal, clarity, trust, and to try and guess their origin. Later they were questioned about attitudes towards Al in marketing content. Key findings demonstrate that AI-generated visual content often outperforms or is equal in emotional appeal to human content, but textual content generally rates similarly in terms of persuasiveness. However, accuracy of recognition differed across domains-participants had difficulty identifying AI-generated content accurately even when it was shown in the form of images. Though people attached importance to transparency regarding the source of content, it had little bearing on preference and Trust. The thesis concludes that AI-generated content is confirmedly accepted and sometimes even preferred for B2B communication. However, it points out the need for careful use, ethical principles, and human oversight. At least in the visual domain, generative Al offers B2B marketers significant advantages in terms of speed, scalability, and personalisation-- but these must be tempered by strategies for clarity and building trust if it is to reach its full potential.

Date of Award	2025
Original language	English
Supervisor	Valerija Muravjova (Supervisor)