What is it about?
This article examines how virtual humans (VHs), AI-powered digital personas, affect Generation Z’s trust, attitudes, and purchase intentions. It looks at factors like human-like design (anthropomorphism), social presence, and the quality of information provided by these virtual influencers. The study also explores whether the ethnicity of virtual humans influences Gen Z consumers’ responses. Using survey data from 258 UK Gen Z participants, the research tests these relationships through advanced statistical modeling. Findings reveal that social presence and information quality matter most, while anthropomorphism and ethnicity have little effect.
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Why is it important?
Virtual influencers are becoming a major part of digital marketing, but brands need to know what really drives consumer trust and engagement. This study shows that realistic looks alone don’t guarantee success. What matters is how helpful and socially engaging the virtual human is. These insights help brands design better AI-driven experiences and avoid wasting resources on features that don’t influence buying behavior.
Perspectives
What sets this study apart is its focus on autonomous virtual humans, not just static or scripted virtual influencers. We tested widely held assumptions such as the belief that making virtual agents more human-like or ethnically diverse automatically boosts trust and found they don’t hold true for Gen Z. Instead, social presence and high-quality information emerged as the real drivers of trust and purchase intentions. This is one of the first studies to combine anthropomorphism, diversity, and AI autonomy in a single model. Our findings suggest brands should prioritize meaningful interaction and reliability over hyper-realistic visuals or tokenistic diversity. For marketers and AI designers, this means moving beyond aesthetics to create engaging, trustworthy, and inclusive digital experiences that resonate with a tech-savvy, socially conscious generation.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gökhan Aydin
University of Brighton
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Anthropomorphism and diversity in virtual humans: their influence on the trust and attitudes of Gen Z consumers, Corporate Communications An International Journal, August 2025, Emerald,
DOI: 10.1108/ccij-04-2024-0072.
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