Harnessing AI for CSR Communication: Leveraging Credibility and Social Presence to Drive Responsible Consumption

ABSTRACT

While AI‐enabled corporate social responsibility (CSR) communications offer dynamic ways to engage consumers, growing skepticism toward algorithmic transparency and sincerity presents a critical barrier to green marketing. To address this research problem, this study integrates Signaling Theory, the Computers Are Social Actors paradigm, and the Stimulus‐Organism‐Response (S‐O‐R) model to evaluate how technological stimuli influence brand perceptions and drive responsible sustainable consumption behavior. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS‐SEM) to analyze data from 404 eligible consumers collected via mall intercepts in Vietnam, the empirical findings highlight two major conclusions. First, both credibility cues (information diagnosticity, algorithmic transparency) and social presence cues (perceived personalization, perceived human likeness) significantly enhance CSR authenticity and brand trust, with perceived personalization acting as the strongest driver. Second, perceived corporate AI opportunism selectively attenuates the impact of credibility and human likeness cues, leaving the robust influence of personalization unaffected. Ultimately, this framework equips managers to design transparent, empathetic digital campaigns that effectively mitigate algorithmic skepticism in green marketing.