AI and the Cognitive Reshaping of Consumers: A Paradigm Shift in Marketing and Advertising

Masoud Lajevardi

doi:10.63922/ijbqr.v3i03.1605

Masoud Lajevardi department of marketing management, Islamic Azad university, Semnan, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.63922/ijbqr.v3i03.1605

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence (AI), consumer cognition, autonomy, and identity.

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has long been viewed as a tool to enhance marketing efficiency. However, we are now entering a deeper, less explored phase of the AI-marketing relationship — one that directly affects consumer cognition, autonomy, and identity. This article offers a perspective on how AI technologies are not just influencing behavior but are actively reshaping the cognitive architecture of consumers. In doing so, AI is contributing to a paradigm shift in advertising and marketing — moving from reactive persuasion to predictive and pre-emptive influence. This shift requires a reevaluation of key assumptions in marketing theory, particularly regarding choice, agency, and ethical responsibility.

References

Davenport, T. H., & Kotler, P. (2021). The future of marketing: How AI is reshaping the field. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 49(5), 817–832.

Gerlich, M. (2023). The Power of Virtual Influencers: Impact on Consumer Behaviour and Attitudes in the Age of AI. Administrative Sciences, 13(8), 178.

Huang, M.-H., & Rust, R. T. (2021). Artificial intelligence in service. Journal of Service Research, 24(1), 3–13.

Kumar, V., Ashraf, A. R., & Nadeem, W. (2024). AI-powered marketing: What, where, and how? International Journal of Information Management, 77, 102783.

Rust, R. T., & Huang, M.-H. (2021). The AI revolution in marketing: Where it’s going and what it means. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 49(6), 1135–1149.

Wirth, J., & Kolain, M. (2022). Algorithmic decision-making and consumer autonomy: A conceptual framework. AI & Society, 37(4), 1535–1550.